Don't Embrace the Past
by Countess of Abe
Summary: ..DH SPOILERS.. Curious as to what became of Draco Malfoy after the final battle? Well, then this shall answer those unanswered queries about our favorite cowardly prince, such as: who is the nameless wife? Draco’s love life and family drama ensues.
1. I'm Too Young to Care

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and themes belong to JKR

A/N: The title of the story comes from the song "Blackout" by Muse, as does the title of chapter.

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**Don't Embrace the Past**

**Chapter 1: I'm Too Young to Care**

It had been six years…

"A shot of Firewhiskey, please," Draco Malfoy's voice ordered his usual drink at the pub near his penthouse.

The barman, a short, stocky man in his late sixties filled the shot glass to the rim with the amber liquid.

Draco occupied the stool farthest from the entrance and therefore farthest from all the socializing idiots. He looked around at the regulars: a woman dressed in clothes way too tight for her clear age of 55, pawing at the younger gentlemen to buy her drinks; a true cougar she was, there was also the slumped over drunkard in the corner, summoning the barman with a flick of his forefinger.

Among the regulars were the overexcited newly-turned 17 year olds trying their first drop of hard liquor, along with the 20-somethings looking at the younger crowd with a look of superiority and clear incomparability.

At the tender age of 23, Draco Malfoy found no reason to join in feeling dominant with the other 20-somethings. He had tried living a life of feeling superior and advanced that had led him nowhere. Well, in all reality, it led him to a life of understated humility and a hint of modesty.

Draco sighed as the barman placed the shot glass in front of him. Wrapping his fingers around the warm glass, he lifted it up and tilted the contents quickly into his mouth, reveling in the numbing sensation at the first contact and then the burning sensation as the liquid slinked down his throat.

He placed the empty glass back down on the counter and shook his head when the barman offered to pour another shot. One was enough and Draco never drank to the point of being inebriated. That was beneath him…

Ok, so truthfully, in all reality, he did still have an air of arrogance about him, but old habits did die hard.

"A goblet of pumpkin juice, please," a soft feminine voice sounded that caught Draco's attention.

He looked towards his left to the source of the sound and found a young woman sitting two barstools away from him. He had never seen her at the pub before.

She sat with one leg crossed over the other, her back straight and her eyes shifting with scrutiny around the pub.

Draco couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer. "Pumpkin juice?"

The woman turned to look at the man who had interrupted her survey of the pub.

She was met with the sight of a bored-looking man, possibly around her age, watching her with a pale, flaxen eyebrow raised. His hair had the same shade of pale blond as his perfectly shaped eyebrow. If his eyes had been pink, she would have mistaken him for an albino. But they were not pink. They were grey, no, they were silver, no…they were molten silver. Yep, that was it. Molten silver irises stared at her in inquisition.

"Are you speaking to me?" she asked in the same soft voice she had used earlier.

"Yes. No one else around here seems to have ordered pumpkin juice," Draco said resting his chin on his fist.

"Is it a crime to order pumpkin juice in a pub?" she asked, removing her eyes from the fair-skinned man a moment to accept the pumpkin juice from the barman.

"No, not a crime, but very odd. I mean, why not just order a warm glass of milk while you're at it?" Draco asked.

He was having a hard time taking his eyes away from her. He watched as she turned back to look at him.

Unlike him, her eyes were a gulf of the darkest shade of brown. If the light hadn't shone on her face, he would have sworn they were a shade of onyx.

"Well, I'm not a very big fan of warm milk, so it would be pretty dim-witted of me to order it," she said, taking a slow swig of her juice. "Do you have any specific motive for patronizing my choice of drink and making me feel juvenile for ordering it?"

Her face held a look of playful teasing, which made her dark brown eyes shine brighter.

"No reason, just a bit curious," Draco said slowly. Maybe it was the one shot of firewhiskey, but for some reason, this woman had held his attention far longer than any other bird he had ever come across in a pub.

She didn't have the Englishwoman splendor that he was so accustomed to, but a different type of beauty…a striking, foreign beauty that he had only seen when spending his summers abroad.

"Well, curiosity killed the dragon, now didn't it?" she asked, quoting a popular Wizarding proverb.

Draco laughed, despite himself. "How ironic."

"What's ironic?" she asked.

"My given name is Latin for dragon," he said.

"Draco?" she said with a hint of a smile.

"Yes…you know Latin?" he asked.

"I know a bit," she said simply, leaving the phrase to float in the air around them.

They sat in an acknowledged silence.

Draco was itching to get the exotic woman to speak again. Her voice was very soft, yet firm, giving her an aura of confidence and femininity.

"So why did you come to a pub to order pumpkin juice? My curiosity has not been sated," Draco said, breaking the silence between them.

A ghost of a smile played at her dark pink lips. "Where else would I go?"

"Any place that sells food and drink serves pumpkin juice. You could have gone to a café, any restaurant…wherever you buy your groceries."

"You make a good point," she said contemplatively. "I guess I enjoy watching people at the pub. Especially when they make complete fools of themselves as they slowly drink their way to liver failure."

Draco chuckled. "We have potions and spells to prevent liver failure…so that really is not a very good observation."

"Ah, but those potions and spells can be just as damaging as the alcohol, so in all fairness, I believe I made a very good observation," she replied, taking another sip of her conversation-starting pumpkin juice.

"So you come to the pub to watch people?"

"Basically."

"How come I've never seen you in this pub before, then?"

"So that would make you a regular?" she asked, placing her own chin on her fist.

"Basically."

She smiled at him. "Well, I've only just moved to this side of town and I'm christening this pub with my presence tonight. So far, all I've observed is you interrupting my observations."

"I just couldn't sit back and not know why you were sitting in a pub and not ordering alcohol. I mean, that's the whole point of this place."

"Alcohol is not very pleasant and I don't find the need to burn my mouth and throat just to get some sort of buzz. Pumpkin juice and all other types of non-alcoholic drinks taste great and don't leave me with a violent migraine the following morning."

"So you don't drink any alcohol?"

"No, well I did drink wine with dinners when I was younger, but that was under the eccentric stares of my parents. And a few years ago I just stopped finding it appealing. I'd much rather drink water with a meal," she said uneasily. Her voice held a slight quaver as she spoke.

Draco stared at the young woman. "Well, then that's good…I think."

"It is good," she said with a smile. "Don't get me wrong, I don't judge anyone who wishes to drink alcohol, I really don't. I just prefer not to drink it myself."

Draco nodded. His eyes focused on her hand as it rose towards her hair to pull it away from her face. Her hair fell down to her shoulders in dark brown waves, similar in color to her eyes. He wondered what it would be like to run his fingers through those dark locks. That was definitely the firewhiskey. Usually, he didn't think that way until the second round of shots.

"You know, I still don't know your name," Draco said after awhile.

She looked at him, as if assessing him. "Samira," she said.

"Samira," he repeated, savoring each letter as it rolled off his tongue. "Very unique…and exotic."

"Thank you," she said with her head bowed modestly.

"If you don't mind me asking, where exactly are you from? You don't look like you could be from around here."

He was in fact being quite honest. Her looks betrayed her English upbringing in the fact that she had a soft caramel complexion and the dark hair and eyes aforementioned. Even while she was sitting, he could tell she was petite and had to be at least a foot shorter than his 6 foot 3 inch frame.

"I was born here in London," she said, interrupting his ogling. "My father is an English wizard, born in Brighton, just as fair-skinned as you. My mother is a Gypsy from Casablanca."

"Casablanca? In Morocco?"

"Yes. That would explain my olive skin tone and dark hair. Don't meet many native English people that look like me," she said with a smile.

"Have you ever been to Casablanca?" he asked.

"Once, when I was ten years old. It was ridiculously hot there, but it also was very beautiful. I'd love to go back again, but then I just like to travel, period."

"So you were born and raised in London and you're a witch, obviously, so did you go to Hogwarts?"

"No, I went to Beauxbatons. You see, my mother wanted me to speak the two native tongues of Morocco, French and Arabic. I never got around to learning Arabic, but she made sure I knew French. So to help me with the French, my parents sent me to Beauxbatons, even though I really wanted to go to Hogwarts," she said with a hint of sadness.

"So your father was an English wizard, your mother a Gypsy?" he asked a bit surprised at how enthralled he was by her.

"Yes…my father was what you would call a womanizer. He was a traveling businessman in his youth and he usually had a woman waiting in every European port for him. He lived this scandalous lifestyle until he was sent to Casablanca for an important sale of flying carpets and magic lamps. He met my mum at a festival to celebrate the importance of Gypsy Magic. Cue the romantic music and here I stand before you 21 years later," she said, watching Draco take in every word she uttered.

"So you're half-Gypsy?"

"No, you see, Gypsy is a lifestyle: a practical, natural magic that is how one chooses to live. The Gypsy magic is very different from the magic wizards and witches are used to. It uses the elements of the earth and the universe. My parents decided to raise me as a witch instead of as half a Gypsy, because there is a lot of discrimination against the Gypsy lifestyle in both magical and muggle worlds."

"How awful…I knew about Gypsy magic, but I never knew that it was something to discriminate against," Draco said thoughtfully.

"Yes, well…it's the same thing with the Pureblood, Muggle-born bigotry that existed for so long."

"So, do you consider yourself a pureblood?" Draco asked, unable to resist the question that he had been so accustomed to know.

"Depends on if you see Gypsy magic as true magic, then yes," she said, looking him straight in the eye.

Draco nodded slowly, watching her watch him.

The barman chose that moment to clear his throat, breaking the concentrated stare between the two.

"The pub closes in 15 minutes," he said gruffly.

Draco and Samira nodded.

She opened her money bag to pay for her drink and as she handed the barman the sickles, he waved the money away, shaking his head.

"The gentleman took care of your bill," he said, pointing to Draco.

She feigned the look of a determined feminist, but couldn't hold back a polite smile. "Thank you."

"Let me take you out to dinner some time," Draco said, standing up from his barstool and walking towards hers.

"Dinner? As in a date?" she asked, standing up from her own barstool and confirming Draco's suspicions that she was almost a foot shorter than him.

"Yes, a date. How else am I supposed to get to know you better?"

"And what makes you so certain that I am single?" she asked as they walked towards the door of the pub.

"Single male intuition. We can pick out the single birds from the taken ones," he said, sticking his hands in the pockets of his robes and walking by her side.

"How absolutely chauvinist of you," she said with a joking laugh.

"So, what say you? Dinner, tomorrow night at 7 o' clock, Café de Monde in Hogsmeade," he said confidently.

Samira pursed her lips in thought, counting her steps as they walked side-by-side down the cold London street.

"I'm going to ignore my paranoid suspicions of you being some crazed maniac and I'm going to accept your invitation," she said finally, looking at him with a small smile.

"Crazed maniac? Do I come off as one?" he asked with a bit of indignation.

"No, not at all…it's just, um, well you know what they say, you should always be careful with a person you've never met before," she said softly.

"Well I hope we can remedy that because I'd love to get to know more about you," he said.

"Likewise," she said in a breathy tone and a nervous laugh.

Draco turned his head to look at her.

"I'm sorry, I've never gone out with such an intriguing stranger before," she said with a grin.

Draco nodded and they walked in silence.

Samira stopped in front of a black-stoned building a few blocks away from Draco's penthouse.

"Well this is me," she said, walking up the steps to the entrance.

"So I'll pick you up tomorrow at 6:45?" he asked, memorizing the location of the building.

Samira hesitated but then smiled and nodded. "My flat is on the fifth floor, door number 6."

Draco nodded and held out his hand.

Samira looked at his outstretched hand and slowly held hers out as well, wrapping her hand around his comparatively larger one and shaking it.

Draco stopped the shake and lifted her hand to his lips, kissing the back of it.

"Until tomorrow," he said and turned around before she had a chance to blush at his outgoing action.

He apparated away right as she waved goodbye with the newly Draco-baptized hand. A small part in the back of her mind blared a warning siren, alerting her rationale that she didn't even know the stranger's last name. But she doubted that that would make any difference…

Until tomorrow indeed…

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	2. Something Really Special Might Come

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and themes belong to JKR.

The chapter title comes from the song, "Perfect Situation" by Weezer

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**Chapter 2: Something Really Special Might Come**

Lucius Malfoy watched the beautiful woman lying next to him with an intense gaze. Her cheeks were still flushed from the previous activity of satiating her sexual needs with the man she called her husband.

He watched her as she slept: the rise and fall of her sheet-covered chest with each deep breath she took. To him, she was flawless. Her pastel blue eyes hidden beneath her lids were the trait that made him weak in the knees. Well, a Malfoy man did not go weak in the knees, but if they did, her eyes would be the things that made him.

It had been a suggestion from his father that Lucius marry the youngest Black daughter. At first, Lucius had been hesitant. Narcissa had attended Hogwarts with him and she had seemed to be a haughty, arrogant girl who stood on a pedestal so high that nobody cared enough to reach for.

After being properly introduced to her at a social function thrown by the Ministry a short while after their graduation, Lucius found that his assumptions of her couldn't have been farther from the truth.

She turned out to be a very sophisticated, nurturing woman who only put on the appearance of being an arrogant aristocrat to keep up with the Black family status.

Lucius proposed to her after only a month of courtship with the exaggerated support from both his father and hers. Cygnus Black had wanted his youngest daughter to marry the Malfoy heir for as long as he could remember.

Much to their parents' joy, Lucius and Narcissa had fallen in love quite quickly.

A day didn't go by where Narcissa didn't tell Lucius that she loved him. He was a man of subtle emotions and hidden sentiment, but he found ways to display how much she meant to him. Narcissa's favorite display was the way he would sometimes leave a narcissus flower on his pillow for her to wake up to.

Narcissa's eyes fluttered open and she caught the sight of her husband's dark grey eyes staring back at her.

"Have you been watching me sleep again?" she asked as her lips curved into a sleepy smile.

"Yes," he said shamelessly, leaning down and kissing her cheek.

"As charming as that is, I still find it a bit eerie," Narcissa said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Do you?" he asked, nuzzling her neck and drinking in her sweet, honeyed scent.

She ran her manicured fingers through his blond tresses, which could rival hers any day. "Just a bit. I mean, what if I do something gauche such as sneeze or burp or something even crasser?"

Lucius chuckled deeply against her neck. "How utterly superficial of you, mon doux."

"What do you have planned today, Lucius?" she asked, her hands still occupied with his silken mane.

"Staying in bed…encore performance of our morning quickie," he said between kisses.

Narcissa laughed. "You are by far the randiest man to grace this earth."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"We're not as young as you assume, Lucius, I get winded these days walking around this god-forsaken manor and you still expect me to be in tip-top shape for random shags in any room that's empty."

"You're in beautiful shape. And speaking of random shags…" he said and inched the sheets lower off of her body.

"Don't get any ideas, Mister Malfoy. I need to shower and leave soon."

"And where are you going?" he asked, stopping his previous actions.

"I haven't seen my son in two whole days, so I think a visit is in order."

"Are you ever going to cut the umbilical cord? No wonder the boy turned out to be such a spoiled brat."

"Excuse me? You're the one who bought him everything with a price tag. So you are just as guilty as I am. Now remove your hands from my person or I will not oblige your devious fantasies anymore."

Lucius gave a very uncharacteristic pout and pulled away from his wife, but not before giving her bum a squeeze as she rose out of bed.

* * *

Draco looked up from his book as the fireplace in his living room roared to life in green flames. A moment later, his mother's elegant form gracefully strode out of the hearth and into his living room. Not a single fleck of dust touched her.

He stood up from the couch and kissed his mother on the cheek in greeting.

"I was wondering when you would snap and come visit," he said with a knowing smirk.

Narcissa raised an eyebrow. "Well, I wouldn't have to come visit if my only son would get his lazy body in gear and come visit his parents everyday like he promised."

"Surely everyday is a bit much, mum," he said. "Besides, you know I work 10 hour days and whatever free time I manage to have, I spend it catching up on sleep." He left out the part of going to the pub and downing a shot of firewhiskey before retiring for the night.

Narcissa took the seat next to her son. "I still don't understand why you even work at all. You have more money in your vault from your inheritances than most countries have as their national budget."

"I told you that I don't want to use money that has been accumulated from centuries of Dark Magic," Draco said coolly, perusing the book in his hand casually.

"You and I both know that is not true. The Malfoy and Black families never earned a penny from dark dealings. All that money has been earned through hard work and very intelligent investing."

"Ok, I'll save it for a rainy day," he said casually.

Narcissa rolled her eyes. "Now what have you been up to, dear?"

"Since your last visit of the day before yesterday? Oh, you know, the usual: traveled the world, wrote a novel, apparated to the moon."

"By Zeus, you are the most insufferable boy," Narcissa huffed. "It was a simple question."

"Mum, you fuss way too much over me. It's as if I never left the manor."

Narcissa sighed. "Would you please just indulge me and then scoff at me later, love."

Draco put his book down and put his arm around his mother. "Well, I had a meeting at work today which lasted for what seemed to be a millennium. I almost fell asleep after the fifth presentation on budgetary limitations for the new curricula at Hogwarts."

"If you dislike your job so much, why don't you just quit?" Narcissa asked.

"I don't dislike my job at all. In fact, I really do love it. Running my own business is one of the best things to happen to me. I could live a happier life without the meetings, but since I'm the boss, I really can't do without them."

"Well, whatever stirs your cauldron, dear," Narcissa reassured. "So, have you been seeing Cara at work?"

"Cara?" Draco asked.

"You know, that girl we met at your office holiday party."

"Yes, I've seen her around. Why are you asking about her?" Draco wondered, knowing exactly why his mother was asking about her.

"Well she seems like such a nice girl and she's very pretty. Your father said she looks a bit like me when I was younger."

Draco suppressed a groan. "Yeah, mum, that's exactly what I'm looking for in a girl, one who looks like my mother. There's nothing psychologically wrong with that at all."

Narcissa shook her head. "Have I mentioned how insufferable you are?"

"You might have," Draco said with a smile.

"Well, are you going to ask her out or not?" Narcissa asked impatiently.

"No, mother. She's really, truly not my type."

"Blonde hair, blue eyes, nice body. She's everyone's type," Narcissa persisted.

"Not mine," Draco said with a tired sigh. "Don't worry about my love-life, mother, I'm perfectly capable of handling it on my own."

"Well, your father and I aren't getting any younger and we would like to see some grandchildren grace the lonely manor. So I say go out and find a girl to give us those grandchildren," Narcissa said.

It was Draco's turn to roll his eyes. "I'll have you know that I _am_ going out with a girl tonight."

Narcissa perked up. "Really? Who is she? Is it that Parkinson girl, because I swear I cannot stand her or her mother and their pretentious---"

"No, it's not, nor would or will it ever be," Draco interrupted. "It's a girl I met last night."

"Is she pretty?"

"Gorgeous."

"What's her name?"

"Samira."

"Oh, sounds exotic."

"She is."

"Family?"

"Don't know," Draco replied with a shrug. "I didn't ask her surname, but I'm sure to find it out tonight."

Narcissa smiled. "Well, I better be off to let you get ready for this big date with your new friend. Now, Draco, remember to be a gentleman and if you invite her to your place after this first date and she says no, then she's a good, solid girl who you should pursue. If she says yes, then she's a wanton hussy who you shouldn't bother with anymore."

Draco rolled his eyes once again. "Yeah, I'll keep that in mind. Now hurry back to father before he sends a search party out. You know he doesn't like to be left alone for long periods of time."

"Azkaban will do that to a person," Narcissa said pointedly. "Promise to update me on how your date goes, love. I'll be expecting a visit from you tomorrow."

"Don't expect too much," Draco mumbled under his breath.

"What was that, dear?" she asked, walking over to the hearth.

"Nothing, mum. Just have a safe floo."

"Yes, because it can be so dangerous," Narcissa said sardonically. "Do try and clean up your place dear, it's getting a bit dusty."

"Yeah, I'll get right on that. Goodbye, mother."

"_Au revoir_," she called out before disappearing into the green flames.

He turned back to his original activity of reading and checking the clock every few minutes.

* * *

Samira cursed as she stubbed her toe against the coffee table in her living room.

"Blasted table and its stupid, bloody, pointy edges," she exclaimed as she hopped about on one foot.

She had gotten up to answer the door and the table had interrupted her trek. She managed to pull herself together before opening the door to the extremely handsome man on the other side.

"You made it," she said breathlessly as she surveyed him in the light. The dim lights of the pub had clearly not displayed his true beauty.

"Of course I did," he said as he ogled her. The same fact occurred to him. The dim lights of the pub had clearly not displayed her true beauty.

"Come in," she said, opening the door wider for him. She glanced at his classy attire. He had worn a black button-up shirt with khaki pants under a black traveling cloak. She wondered if he would ever notice that he probably had more of a fashion sense than she did.

He walked in slowly and turned around to hand her a single white rose.

"Oh, thank you, that's very kind of you," she said, taking the flower from his hand and smelling it.

He smiled in reply and continued to watch her as she turned to find a vase for the single rose.

She looked dazzling in a dark purple cocktail dress that blended perfectly with her olive skin. Her hair had been pulled back to reveal a slender neck and straight, smooth shoulders.

He cursed his mother for her stupid rule of no sex on the first date. As stupid as it sounded, he respected her wishes and only sought to make her proud.

When Samira disappeared into the kitchen to fill the vase with water, he turned to look around at her modest flat. It was decorated simply, with contemporary furniture. Nothing too fancy, with hints of Moroccan influence every few paces.

He spotted a large, black box resting on a wooden table against the wall. He recognized it and wondered what a witch was doing with one in their home.

"Uh, Samira?" he asked as she walked back into the living room.

"Yes?" she replied.

"Is that, what is it called, um, a television?"

Samira turned to where he was staring. "Yes."

"A lover of muggle things?" he asked, a bit surprised at how well he was handling it.

"Um, no not particularly. It's for my niece. You see, my brother, Michael, married a muggleborn and they want to raise their daughter with both muggle and magic lifestyles. I baby-sit often for them and when she comes over she likes to watch some sing-song shows or whatnot."

"Oh, I see," he said, secretly glad he wasn't about to date a female version of Arthur Weasley.

"So, are you ready to go?" she asked, grabbing a cloak from the closet near the door.

"Yep, now do you prefer Apparition or walking there? It's not too far. Only a few minutes walk from here."

"Uh, how about we apparate there and then walk back afterwards?" she asked.

"Sounds good to me," he said. "Side-along Apparition alright with you?" he asked as she locked the door behind her and led them towards the lift.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were looking for an excuse to get closer, Mr. Draco," she commented with a flirty grin as they rode the lift to the ground floor.

"Ah, but I think you do know better," Draco replied with a grin of his own to which she laughed.

* * *

They arrived at the trendy café, which had opened in Hogsmeade the previous month.

Samira couldn't stop smiling. She could tell that the female clientele were shooting envious glares in her direction and she couldn't help but smirk back.

Nothing could dampen her mood. Nothing at all.

"How great of you to join us here at _Café de Monde_, Monsieur Malfoy," the maitre'd greeted them.

Samira's smile vanished. Had the maitre'd just said _Malfoy_? As in, Malfoy, the family that had practically sat in the lap of the Dark Lord and fought on the dark side of the final battle?

It seemed something could dampen her mood after all.


	3. Give Me Time, Give Us a Kiss

A/N: I've put pictures of what Samira looks like in my profile! Check them out if you're interested.

Thanks to my lovely, fantasmatic koukla beta!

The chapter title comes from the song, "Politik" by Coldplay

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**Chapter 3: ****Give Me Time, Give Us a Kiss**

--------_Recap_---------

_Samira's smile vanished. Had the maitre'd just said 'Malfoy'? As in, Malfoy, the family that had practically sat in the lap of the Dark Lord and fought on the dark side of the final battle?_

_It seemed something could dampen her mood after all._

"Is something wrong, Samira?" Draco asked, as they walked towards the private booth at the back of the restaurant.

Samira blinked several times, trying to remember what was going on around her. "Um, nothing, nothing," she said with a failed air of nonchalance.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

Samira took a deep breath as they sat down, facing each other. "Yeah, I'm sure."

Draco knew what was going on. He wasn't completely dumb, and he knew what had just happened. He had felt her stiffen next to him when the maitre'd had addressed him by his surname.

"Look, if you'd rather go home and just forget this, then that's no problem. I know what the public opinion of my family is and frankly, I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to leave," Draco said slowly, looking Samira in the eye.

Samira looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so rude, I was just surprised."

"Yeah, well, do you want me to take you back home?" Draco asked, officially going into dejected mode.

Samira looked back up at him. "No."

Draco stared at her as her dark eyes flashed with determination and hope. "No?"

"I'm not going to lie to you and say that I'm not conflicted over this, but I'm not going to let a little thing like your family background get in the way of anything...nobody's perfect. I have no right to judge you based on your past, it's the present that counts, right?"

Draco was pretty sure this was the girl of his dreams.

"Are you sure?" he asked tentatively.

"Yes, I'm sure. I mean, you haven't discriminated against me for having a Gypsy as a mother, and even the muggles discriminate against them, so why should I shun you for your family's mistakes?"

Draco smiled at her and she smiled back.

"Sorry about earlier," she said. "Let's just forget it and enjoy this very nice date."

"Ok, well since you now know a bit more about who I am, I think it only fair that you tell me more about yourself. Let's see if your surname scares me as much as mine scares you," Draco said.

Samira smiled. "Your surname doesn't scare me. It's just, you know, synonymous with the dark arts and all that. I'm really, really sorry I acted weird before, because I really am not judging you. God, I feel so bad now," she said with her hand to her face.

"No, it's ok. Don't feel bad. I'm really used to it," Draco explained, wondering when this date had taken a wrong turn.

Samira looked into his eyes. "But you shouldn't have to be used to it. People shouldn't treat you differently just because of your previous mistakes. We all make them, some more than others, but we're all human and we all deserve second chances."

"Listen, Samira, really, it's ok. Let's just forget about all this and, hey, do you want to just change restaurants? Maybe a change of atmosphere will do us some good."

Samira shook her head. "No, everything is perfectly fine here," she smiled wide. How could she have ever doubted the man sitting in front of her? How could someone so ridiculously handsome be anything less than perfect?

Draco smiled softly. "So tell me everything about yourself. I don't think I can stand not knowing more than your first name."

The waiter walked by at that moment. "Ah, Monsieur Malfoy, can I tempt you with our Caubernet Sauvignon this evening?"

Draco shook his head. "No thank you, garcon. Anything non-alcoholic will be fine."

He raised an eyebrow and bowed subtly. "Of course, monsieur. Right away."

Samira smiled when he had left. "Thank you. You're too sweet for words."

"It's nothing. Now back to you, finally. Just start talking and if I get bored, I'll stop you," Draco said with a charming smile.

"That better be a joke, _monsieur," _she said, "Why don't you ask me questions and I can answer them. I'm not very good with autobiographical speeches."

Draco laughed. "Ok, tell me your name."

"Samira Dunvale."

"Dunvale…as in Dunvale Apothecary Inc.?" Draco asked.

"Yeah, that's my dad's company. You've heard of it?" Samira asked.

"I do their financial and budgetary accounts," Draco said with a smile.

"So that means you work for Dragon Elgin Enterprise," Samira said, realization dawning on her.

"Yeah, I own it," Draco said. "The 'dragon' kind of gives it away."

"Goodness, what a small world. I didn't know you did our accounting."

"So you work with your father?"

"I'm the Director of Operations for the potions division."

"I'm not familiar with the type of work you do there, I just work with the numbers," Draco explained.

"Oh, well it's basically a magical, medicinal, distribution company. We develop spells and potions that are used at St. Mungo's and other magic hospitals around the world. Almost like a muggle pharmaceutical company."

"So you head up the potions division? What do you do?"

"Well, I used to work in the lab with all the potions and the researchers, but now that I got promoted, I mostly do supervising of all potion manufacturing."

"Have you always wanted to work for you dad's company?" Draco asked.

Samira's gaze shifted from Draco's eyes to the table. "Uh well, not really. My dad offered me the job two years ago when I was 19 and I took it."

"What did you originally want to do?"

Samira's hands fidgeted with the napkin on the table, an action that didn't go unnoticed by Draco. "Nothing…uh, so how long have you owned Dragon Elgin?"

Draco knew he had stumbled upon something interesting, but he wasn't going to push his luck. "I've owned it since I was 20, so for about three years now."

"Do you like your work?" Samira asked.

"I actually do. My mum thinks I'm completely crazy for working so much and for taking an interest in a subject she calls hideously boring."

Samira laughed. "I'm not too good with numbers. But I can run circles around anyone in medicinal potion development."

"I won't try and challenge you," Draco said with a laugh. "So you said you had a brother? Tell me more about your family."

"Well I just have my one brother, Michael and he's married to Rosa and they have a two-year old daughter, Melania, who is probably the sweetest child to ever be born."

Draco smiled. "So do you spend a lot of time with your niece?"

"My brother works at the company with me, he heads the spells division, and her mum works for the ministry, so I babysit most of the time. My position leaves me with some free time that my brother doesn't get," she said. "What about you? Any siblings?"

"Nope, just me," Draco said.

"Did you ever want siblings?" Samira asked.

Draco thought for a moment. "No, not really. I was spoiled to the point where I didn't want anyone else to garner my parents' attention."

"Oh, so I'm dealing with a pampered pureblood prince," Samira with a teasing smile.

"Pretty much," Draco said with a laugh.

"So, tell me more about your childhood," Samira stated.

Draco cleared his throat. "That's a topic we can save for another time, preferably when I'm drunk."

Samira's actions stilled and her eyes steeled over.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked.

Samira shook her head as if clearing it. "Nothing, uh, I just didn't think you were the 'get drunk' type."

"Oh, I was just joking. You really have a thing with this alcohol business," Draco said, taking a sip of the fresh juice the waiter had brought.

Samira smiled. "Everyone's allowed their little weird thing…and, um, I guess alcohol is mine."

"Are you ever going to tell me the true reason behind it, because I'm trying to be honest here, but I think there's more to the story than you're telling me," Draco pointed out.

Samira stayed quiet but gave him a small smile. "You're too intuitive for your own good."

"I'm going to tell you something, Samira. I may come from a family of dark backgrounds and cowardice but I want to start over fresh. The final battle opened my eyes to a lot of things and I'll be the first to admit that my life up to that point was nothing but disappointment."

"Why are you telling me this?" Samira asked cautiously.

"I don't know what it is about you, but I feel like you're a girl I could trust. One that wouldn't shut me out based on my past. And I have a feeling that there is something in your past that you aren't proud of, which makes it easier for you to accept me, because you can relate to me."

"That's very presumptuous of you. Also, very arrogant," Samira said without a hint of a smile. "What makes you think that I want something to progress between us to the point where I can divulge my past?"

"Because I can see it in your eyes and I can tell by the way you answer my questions. You've been hurt in the past and that hurt is preventing you from opening up to me."

Samira sniffed in response. "Have you always been this self-assured?"

"As long as I can remember," Draco replied coolly.

"Maybe some women are attracted to extremely self-confident men who think they know everything, but let me make you aware of the fact, that I am not one of them," Samira said. "I have half a mind to just leave this restaurant and pretend I never met you."

"But the other half of your mind refuses to let you leave," Draco said with a knowing smile. "You can fight all you want, and I know that I'm dealing with a girl who tries to fend off potential hurt, but just ends up hurting herself anyways. I'll assure you that I have no intention of hurting you, so you might as well admit to the fact that you know I'm right and you hate it."

"Yes, I do hate it," Samira said. "You think you know me, but you don't."

"Well, I'm trying to get to know you, but you keep avoiding questions and making it blatantly obvious that there's more to you than a Director of Operations who abstains from alcohol."

Samira let out a frustrated breath. "You are the most overconfident person I have ever met."

Draco smiled.

Samira tried to keep up her scowl but his grin was having that horrible lusty effect that hunky men had over the female sex.

Her lips twitched into an unwanted smile.

"Tell me you don't want anything to happen between us and I'll admirably pay for our dinner and escort you home," Draco said.

Samira shook her head with a disbelieving laugh. "You are one of a kind, Draco."

"I know," he said. "So, what's your answer?"

"You already know it," she said with a quick sigh. "You are too interesting and you already claim to know more about me than I've disclosed, so I can't afford to let you go gallivanting off without seeing what I can dig up about _your_ past."

"Splendid," Draco replied.

"How do you manage to go from incredibly annoying to irresistibly charming within the blink of an eye?" she asked.

"It's an innate gift," Draco said with a laugh.

Despite the verbal sparring they had, both Draco and Samira knew there was something about the other that was overly enticing. There was a mutual feeling of understanding and a subconscious feeling of wanting something more.

Neither could deny the extremely strong sexual overtones between them. Samira sat through the meal mentally chastising herself for letting her thoughts stray from his words to what was hidden beneath his robes.

Draco wasn't chastising himself for conjuring up very naughty images of the vixen sitting across from him. If she got worked up over words and intellectual conversation, he couldn't even begin to fantasize what she was like at an uninhibited stage...in the nude...in his bed...against the wall...on the floor...any surface...

He watched her plump lips move as she talked, taking in every word and imagining what those lips would feel like against his body, against his own lips. He caught sight of her nails drumming against the table when she spoke of her work and he couldn't stop himself from imagining what those nails could feel like against his back in the throes of passion.

Samira wasn't having much luck either with the static of sexual energy flowing between them at the private booth of Café de Monde. She watched his long, rough fingers close around the glass of water and wondered what those fingers would feel like caressing her body. She watched his silver eyes as they lit up when he talked about Quidditch and wondered if they darkened with lust as he sated his sexual needs.

To put it bluntly, the both of them were extremely hot, bothered, and uncomfortable by the end of the meal and they both knew that as per first-date etiquette that they would be dealing with pent-up sexual frustration that night.

* * *

Draco stood next to her as she paused by the door to her flat.

"I want to thank you again, Draco," she said softly, "And I really am sorry about before. We just seem to be two very passionate, stubborn people."

Draco smiled. "Yeah we do."

Samira looked into his eyes. She was one step away from wrapping her arms and legs around the blond Adonis and letting him have his way with her. "Will I see you again?" she asked, instantly regretting how desperate that must have sounded.

"I hope so," Draco said.

Was he leaning closer? Or was the hall getting smaller? Did he always have those long dark blond eyelashes framing those metallic eyes?

Samira's thought process was slowly edging towards insanity.

"Me too," she said in almost a whisper. She didn't need to really speak very loudly, seeing as how she was practically talking right into his mouth. She could count those eyelashes now.

Draco wondered why he didn't just grab her and savor her fleshy lips in a smorgasbord of blissful proportions. Since when was he such a friggin' gentleman?

To hell with it.

Lips met lips in a hard press, quickly parting to taste each other. She tasted good…damn good. He tasted even better.

He pulled her closer to him, hands clasped on her lower back, bringing her flush against his chest.

By god, the man had a hard chest. She could have broken rocks against it had she had rocks…or enough cerebral capacity to try.

She was warm. Very warm. He groaned into her mouth at having her full breasts pressed up against him. The groan brought Samira back to conscious being. She forlornly pulled away from him, lingering on his lips for one more second and giving a chaste kiss at the last moment. No, she wasn't desperate. She was mental.

Her lips were pink, her cheeks were pink. Draco wanted to find other pink areas on her body…ok back to some control.

"Holy son of a mother…" Samira muttered under her breath, leaning on the doorframe for support.

Draco smiled, showing his perfect teeth…should teeth even be that perfect? Magic _must_ have been involved. Humans weren't created that perfect.

"I'll floo you, ok?" he said softly, bringing his hand to cup her cheek, stroking it with his thumb tenderly.

"Uh-huh," she said dazedly. 21 years of speaking English, 15 years of speaking French and 'uh-huh' had been the most articulate thing she could come up with. Her teachers and parents would have been so proud.

The loss of warmth from his hand leaving her cheek quickly left her feeling cold, but her spirits lifted when the perfection of man in front of her gave her a kiss goodbye on that same cheek.

"Goodnight, Samira," he said, lips lingering near her ear.

"Night, Draco," she said, proud of herself for forming a phrase that didn't sound like it came from a mentally challenged plebeian.

Samira watched him walk away, a bit disheartened that his black cloak covered up what could have been a good view. She closed her eyes, licked her lips and stepped into her flat after the single most exhilarating night of her convoluted life.


	4. Why'd You Have To Be So Cute?

Disclaimer: no ownership

A/N: The chapter title comes from the song, "Goodnight and Go" by Imogen Heap

* * *

**Chapter 4: Why'd You Have To Be so Cute?**

Samira read through the potion ingredients for the third time that day. One of her employees had accidently bottled the wrong type and now Samira was trying to find a way to decipher what type of potion they had actually bottled.

The fireplace in her average-sized office came to life in green flames.

"Miss Dunvale, you have a caller on floo 2," the crisp, solid tone of her secretary's voice called out through the flames.

Samira looked up. "Put them on through, Macy."

The flames changed back to their normal color and then instantly turned back into the floo green colors.

Samira went back to reading the potion ingredients. "This is Samira Dunvale speaking."

"And this is Draco Malfoy speaking," the voice from the fireplace said.

Samira lifted her head up quickly, a smile on her lips as she saw his handsome face in the green flames. "Hello, Draco. How are you today?"

"Great, now that I've seen you," Draco said.

Samira withheld a silly girlish sigh and smiled. "That's very sweet, Draco. Thank you. But I have to ask, how did you get my work floo?"

"From the financial records I do for your company," Draco's head said.

"Are you at work right now?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm about to go on my lunch break and was wondering if you'd like to join me. I've been thinking about you constantly since last Friday and I just need to see you again," Draco said in one breath.

Samira smiled. "I'd love to have lunch with you. Why don't you come through the floo while I finish up one thing and then we can go."

She tried to ignore the wave of heat that overwhelmed her when she saw his tall and well-built body come out of the fireplace. She quickly wrote down the side effects of the potion and put it away on the shelves as he strode to her desk.

He leaned close to her and kissed her cheek, reminding her of how wonderful his lips felt against her skin.

"Ready to go?" he asked, dressed in a business suit instead of wizarding robes. They looked quite dashing on him, Samira admitted modestly to herself.

She nodded her head and took a hold of his hand as she led him out of her office.

They passed by the secretary."Macy, I'm going out for an early lunch. I'm expecting a floo from Cassandra Carmichael about the new order of Glucophanio potions she asked for. If she asks for me, tell her that our meeting has been postponed to Wednesday so that my father can be in attendance," Samira said.

Draco couldn't help but feel a certain pride and attraction at how efficient and confident she was as a leader for the company. Who knew that a working woman would turn a Malfoy on so much?

"This is Draco Malfoy," she introduced. "And Draco, this is Macy Miller, my executive assistant."

Draco shook hands with the elderly woman. She might have been old, but her severe look and tightly pulled bun reminded him of Professor McGonagall, who could terrify him even on her good days.

"Malfoy did you say?" Macy asked looking at him with scrutiny and quirked an eyebrow.

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy and I are going out to lunch," Samira said, a hard edge coming into her voice. "I'll be back later. Come on, Draco."

Draco nodded goodbye to the secretary and followed Samira to the lifts.

When they were out of eye and earshot of the secretary, Samira threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. Draco almost groaned at how warm her body was against his and how her breathing tickled his neck.

"I'm sorry about her. She really is so sweet, but her tongue works faster than her brain," Samira said, speaking softly in his ear.

Draco smiled. "It's ok Sami, I told you I'm used to it, and she was harmless compared to others."

"I like the way you say my name," she pulled back and looked at him, not removing her arms from around his neck.

"Sami?" he asked, looking into her deep brown eyes and trying not to get lost in the mystery behind them.

She nodded and surprised both herself and him by leaning up and giving him a soft kiss on the lips. The 'ding' that sounded as the lift arrived broke their warm embrace. He smiled at her and led her into the lift, which was unfortunately occupied by another person.

"Hello there, Samira, how are you today?" a short elderly man asked, looking up from a piece of parchment.

"Hello, Nathan. I'm fine, just going out to lunch," she said politely. "Nathan, this is my friend Draco Malfoy and Draco, this is my father's right-hand man, Nathan Miller."

"Hello sir, nice to meet you," Draco said, extending his hand.

"Oh ho, my boy, nice to meet you as well!" the man said jovially.

"Nathan is Macy's husband. They've worked for my father since he started the company," Samira explained.

"So he's met the missus?" Nathan asked. "Hope she wasn't too brutal. That woman should have her tongue glued to the top of her mouth."

Samira chuckled. "She was agreeable enough."

"Well don't you mind her. I'm sure she probably made some snide comment about your last name, but she's just bitter with anyone whom she doesn't know. I'm sure if Harry Potter himself came up to her, she'd have some rude thing to say about him as well."

Draco forced a polite smile onto his face. He liked this man, but didn't like any conversation that mentioned his former school rival.

"Here's my floor," he said as the 'ding' rang out again. "I'll see you again, Samira. Nice meeting you, Mr. Malfoy."

They said goodbye to him and Samira turned to Draco the minute the lift doors had closed again.

She smiled at him and held both of his hands in hers. "I've also been thinking about you non-stop since our last date. What was it? Six days ago? That was simply evil making me wait that long," she said, a shy smile lingering on her lips.

Draco laughed and drew her closer, keeping his hands clasped in hers. "I didn't want to seem desperate."

Samira's laugh filled the enclosed space like a song. Draco reveled in its soft and appealing tones. "So making me go slowly crazy waiting for you to contact me was a much better idea?"

Draco shrugged and almost leaned down to kiss her when the lift rang out again, signaling their arrival to the last floor.

"Sam-a-lam-a-ding-dong!" a voice called out from across the foyer of the first floor.

Samira groaned as they walked out of the lift. Draco saw a tall man, with the same complexion of skin as Samira and the same dark hair and eyes. He had a guess as to who that person was.

"Hello, Michael," she said, greeting her older brother.

"And where do you think you're running off to? We have the executives meeting at noon," Michael said.

"If you kept your desk neat and organized, you might have seen the memo that I left on your desk. The meeting has been moved to tomorrow. I'll see you later, bye Michael," she said, eager to leave before he started asking questions.

"Wait one second, Sam-a-lam-a. When did you meet our financial advisor?" he asked, looking at Draco.

"We met outside of the office," she said, itching to leave.

"How are you today, Mr. Malfoy? Any problems with our accounts?" Michael asked.

"None at all and I'm pretty sure I've told you before to call me Draco," he said.

Samira looked between them. "You two have met?"

"Once, when the charms department gained that surplus and we needed to approximate all our funds correctly. Draco here is quite the numbers genius," Michael said.

Samira smiled. "Well, it's been nice talking to you Michael, we'll see you around," she said, desperate to leave.

Michael smiled knowingly. "Alright, have fun on your lunch-date. When you get back, I'd like to see you in my office."

Samira rolled her eyes and practically dragged Draco out of the building.

Draco laughed as they walked to the eatery right across the street from Dunvale Apothecary Inc. "So, your brother seems nice."

Samira smiled back at Draco. "He is nice. But he's also one gene short of being certifiably insane. I bet you everything I own that he wants to see me in his office to grill me about you. He has that big brother protective syndrome especially after… uh. So yeah, that was him."

Draco noticed her slip-up and figured right then and there that he was going to find out what was going on with Samira Dunvale. He was going to be patient and wait for her to trust him enough to tell him. But he was going to find out. That was certain.

For the rest of the hour, they talked mostly business and a few side comments on their crazy families. In truth, they were having a very good time until two people walked into the restaurant.

"Oh god," Draco mumbled under his breath as he caught sight of past acquaintances he would have rather never seen again.

Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger stood at the entrance of the restaurant, holding hands and looking like nothing short of newlyweds.

He hadn't seen any of the Golden Trio since that horrible final battle that he tried to repress unsuccessfully. He especially tried to forget that he owed them his life, but his pride was too fragile to admit that out loud.

"Who are you looking at?" Samira asked.

Draco looked back to her and sighed. "Oh, just some people I knew from school."

"Why don't you go and say hi," Samira said.

"We weren't what you would call friends. In fact … we pretty much hated each other," Draco said, taking a sip of his water and pretending that the two new occupants of the restaurant did not exist.

"Hated each other? Why?" she asked.

Draco thought for a moment. "I wasn't the most amiable person when I was younger. And those two… well they were possibly the most annoying humans I've ever come across."

Samira bit back a laugh. "They can't be that bad."

"I just don't want to deal with all of that any more. I guess you can say it's all in the past," Draco said slowly, as if saying it all for the first time.

"So I shouldn't expect you to be all chummy with them now, right?"

Draco smiled. "That will never happen. They have their friends, I have mine and hopefully, our social circles will never cross."

Samira grinned understandingly. "So what was so bad about them?"

She was looking in their direction as they sat on the other side of the restaurant. They were speaking softly to each other and the red-headed one kept shooting obvious looks towards Draco.

"Well Granger was an annoying know-it-all who was the type that would hold up the class with her blasted questions. Some days, even the professors wanted to tell her to keep her fucking hand down because nobody gave two shits about the miscellaneous comments she had."

Samira's jaw dropped. "Wow, that's not very nice at all."

Draco rolled his eyes. "You weren't there, Sami. I don't know what kinds of people you had over at Beauxbaton's, but I'm sure every school has that one person who just loved to show how much they knew. It's annoying. And I hated it."

"So that's why you hated her? Because she was smart?" Samira asked, with an eyebrow quirked.

Draco avoided her gaze. "Well that really wasn't the only reason. She was a mud…muggleborn."

Once again, Samira's jaw dropped again. "You were about to say," she brought her tone very low, "mudblood."

Draco fiddled with the lemon wedge that was attached to his cup. "Sorry, habit."

Samira nodded. "I forgot for a second about your whole family background. You're just such a sweet guy that it's easy to forget you were into all that."

Draco had the decency to feel his face flush.

"But let me guess… she was a muggleborn and you were a pureblood, so it really grated your nerves that she was a better student in magic studies than you were."

"Yeah, I guess looking back on it, that was another reason why I couldn't stand her," Draco said with a sigh. "Sometimes when I think about my schooldays, I remember what a complete idiot I was, you know?"

Samira smiled nervously. "Yeah, we were all a bunch of idiots."

"And then there was Weasley, the red-head. Well, he was as annoying as a human can get. If Granger was smart, Weasley was equally dim-witted. Sometimes he was so thick I just wanted to scream. Not to forget that at that time, he was a blood-traitor, so I didn't much care for him."

Samira shook her head. "I'm glad I didn't go to school with you," she said teasingly. "You probably would have hated me right along with them."

"I doubt that," Draco said, still not meeting her gaze.

"My mother is a gypsy and during the war, gypsies refused to join either side, so the Dark side did not like them very much," Samira said. She noticed Draco's avoidance of her eyesight. "What's wrong, Draco?"

Draco finally looked up at her. "The guilt just never goes away, Sami. I did so many awful things… and I said so many hurtful things. I just, I just wish that it had been different."

Samira could see his emotions displayed vividly through his eyes. He had that characteristic about him, with his light-colored eyes; it was easy to read his mood and exactly what he was feeling.

"Oh, Draco. It's in the past and you were just a kid. We all have things in our pasts that we're not proud of. That's what makes us human," Samira said, putting her hand on top of his on the table.

He smiled as her small hand warmed his larger one. "Let's change the subject, because frankly, my past is not a favorite topic of mine."

Samira laughed. "Yeah, same here."

"It's almost time for me to go back to the office," Draco said sadly, looking down at his watch.

"I've had fun today," Samira said, standing up after Draco paid the bill and tipped the waitress.

"Me too," Draco said, as they left the restaurant, with one last glance towards the Gryffindor couple near the door. As they walked towards Samira's building, Draco held her hand. "Can I count on seeing you again?"

Samira nodded, finding it hard to form words as he rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand. "Soon, I hope."

Draco smiled and opened the door for her to enter. "Expect a floo from me, then."

"I will," Samira said and kissed his cheek before he walked away, leaving her aching for more of him. Damn, how he had that carnal effect on her body and mind.

* * *

On Saturday morning, Draco picked up some floo powder and was about to throw it in the fireplace to call Samira, when a very loud and hasty knock sounded at his door.

He put the floo powder back and went to his door, wondering if his mother had gone crazy yet because he hadn't seen her in; count them, four whole days.

He was mildly surprised to find Samira standing outside his door, holding a toddler, a baby bag and looking highly frazzled.

"Oh thank goodness, you're home," she said, looking near tears.

"Samira, I was just about to floo you, come in," Draco said, holding the door open and taking the heavy bag from her. "How'd you know where I live?"

Samira stood near the couch and put what Draco assumed was her niece down on the couch to sit.

"I just checked our account records and then our business directory," Samira said, pulling her hair away from her face.

"Are you going to introduce me to your little friend?" Draco asked, pointing to the girl on the couch.

"Oh, this is Melania, my niece. Say, 'hi,' Melly," Samira said, talking to the toddler.

Melania stayed quiet, staring at Draco with the biggest brown eyes he had ever seen. She was wearing a denim overalls dress over a pair of white onesies. She had fairer skin than Samira and Michael, but she had the same dark hair and eyes. Her hair was pulled into two, short, curly pigtails.

To put it bluntly, she was the cutest thing Draco had seen in a long time.

"She's as cute as her aunt," Draco said.

Samira forced a smile. "Oh, Draco, I have the biggest favor to ask of you."

"What is it?" Draco asked, watching the two-year old stare him down eerily.

"Ok, so I'm supposed to watch Melania this whole weekend because my brother and his wife were called down to New Zealand for a Ministry conference. Well, they just left and an accident has happened down at the office. One of the weekend workers mixed some potion with another and there was this big explosion and my dad was there and he's been sent to St. Mungo's along with a dozen other employees and I have to run down there and help the Ministry with the investigation and then run over to the hospital and calm my mother down…"

"Sami, take a breath, it's ok," Draco said, walking over to her and wrapping her in his arms.

Her body was tense and she was shaking a bit.

"You need me to watch the kid?" he asked, rubbing her back and receiving an intense stare from the child in question.

"Please," she whispered. "I don't know how long I'll be gone and I can't bring her with me because it's just too much of a hassle toting around a two-year old around an explosion site which they have yet to clean up because they need my authority or something stupid and then I obviously can't take her down to the hospital."

"I'll watch her, no problem," Draco said, looking towards the extremely small person. She probably came up to his knee, how hard could watching her be?

"Thank you so much, Draco. I really, really am so sorry to come unannounced, but Rosa, Michael's wife, is really one of my only friends and since she's out of town, I couldn't really find anyone to watch Melania. I owe you so much."

Draco smiled. "It's not a problem. She looks perfectly manageable."

"Looks can be deceiving," Samira mumbled under her breath.

"Huh?" Draco asked.

"Nothing," Samira said. "I have everything you could possibly need in her baby bag. Nappies, extra clothes, her binky, her favorite bear crackers, a few toys, and a few other things I don't really remember but that you will probably find use for later."

Draco tried not to blink stupidly. "Um, she still wears nappies?"

"She just turned two years old. They've started potty-training her, but she's still really young for that, so she hasn't quite mastered that."

"Does she talk?" Draco asked, starting to worry about his new assignment.

"Yes, but sometimes she doesn't make much sense, so you have to use your best deciphering skills to figure out what she wants. But usually, she's pretty precise about what she needs."

Draco nodded and turned to look at the child. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

Samira shook her head. "She can eat anything and she usually will, so watch out for that. Oh, and she likes to wash her hands in the toilet, so keep an eye on her."

Draco started laughing. "She washes her hands in the toilet?"

"Well, there was this kid's show she watched once that sang a song about washing hands and since she can't reach the sink, she just goes for the most accessible water source, which is the toilet."

"Wow, she may be more trouble than I thought," Draco said, assessing the girl's mischievous smile.

Samira bit her lip. "I can always take her along with me if she's too much."

Draco shook his head. "No, I can handle it. We'll be fine, won't we, squirt?"

Melania smiled but didn't say anything.

Samira let out a breath. "I still don't know how to thank you, Draco."

"Again, not a problem, Sami. Don't worry about it," Draco said.

Samira smiled and kissed his cheek. "Ok, Melania, you be a good girl for Draco. If I hear you've been misbehaving, then you will get into trouble with daddy and mummy and Auntie Sam."

Melania cocked her head to one side and smiled a toothy grin.

"If she's any trouble, Draco, just put her in the corner, facing the wall for two minutes," Samira said, picking up Melania.

Draco rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, ok."

Samira held Melania out to Draco. "You can take her out and just basically go about your regular day, just take the baby bag and you'll be fine."

Draco held out his arms for the girl, who surprisingly went to him and hugged him around the neck.

"I'm not going to lie, Sami, but I haven't been around kids since I was one myself. But I promise, she'll be fine and I won't let anything happen to her."

Samira looked relieved and smiled. "Thank you so much, Draco. You have no idea how much this means to me. I'll be back hopefully by nightfall, so I'll see you then."

Draco nodded and held open the door for her with one arm and kept a firm hold on the little girl in his other. "Say bye to your Auntie," Draco said.

"Bye Auntie Tham!" Melania screamed, making Draco wince since she was so close to his eardrum.

"Bye Melly, please be good!" Samira said and walked briskly down the hall and out of sight.

Draco closed the front door and looked at the kid in his arms. She looked back at him with interest.

"So… squirt, what are we going to do?"

Melania stared at him as a response.

"Ok, so you're one of those selective speakers who speaks at random times. Good to know," Draco said and walked over to the couch, sitting down and setting Melania in his lap to face him.

"Where is Auntie Tham?" she asked him.

"Oh, Auntie Sam went to work and then to go visit your granddad and grandmum," Draco said.

"What'th your name?" Melania asked.

"Draco," he responded. The kid sure had a short memory span.

"Raco," Melania repeated.

"Close enough," Draco said resignedly.

"Potty," Melania said with a scheming smile.

"Now does that mean you want to go potty or that you want to go wash your hands in the toilet?"

Melania gave him a blank stare. "Potty is clean, Raco."

"Yeah, ok..." Draco said. "What else would you like to do?"

"Elmo," she said suddenly.

"Huh?"

"Elmo," she repeated.

"What's an Elmo?" Draco asked, watching her little fingers play with the buttons on his shirt.

"Elmo!" she said with vehemence. "Please!"

"Um... squirt, I don't know what elmo means," Draco tried to reason.

He knew he was in trouble when she looked up at him with tears swimming under her lashes and her lower lip slowly jutting out into the saddest, most adorable pout he had ever seen.

"Oh, don't cry, please," Draco pleaded.

"Elmo!" Melania said her eyelashes becoming saturated with tears.

"Can you tell me what Elmo means? I swear whatever it is, you can have it. Just don't cry."

"Elmo is on the T.B.," she said with sniffle.

"What's a T.B.?" Draco asked.

Melania burst into tears and buried her face on the front of Draco's shirt. "Ok, this has officially started off very badly."

A knock at the door was heard over Melania's muffled sobs and screams. Draco picked her up and held her to his chest, where she refused to move and walked towards the door, hoping it was Samira with an explanation of what an elmo and T.B. were.

He opened the door to find his colleague and friend, Blaise Zabini, standing outside the door with a bemused expression. Blaise had worked for Draco ever since the start of Dragon Elgin Enterprises and had become a very close friend with the former Slytherin.

"I thought I heard a baby crying," Blaise said, walking in and shrugging his cloak off his shoulders. "Thanks for telling me you had a kid. I thought I knew you so well before."

Draco scowled at his friend's smirk. "She's not mine," he yelled over the screams.

"Obviously," Blaise said. "Why is she screaming?"

"She wants an elmo and a T.B. and I have no idea what those things are," Draco replied. He tried bouncing Melania around, but her screams just grew louder.

"Why don't you distract her with something else?" Blaise suggested.

Draco shook his head. "She's somehow attached her self to my shirt and she has an incredible grip. This kid could bend steel if she wanted. OW!" Draco yelped. "She bit me!"

Blaise doubled over in laughter. "I like her already."

Draco frowned and finally managed to pull her away from him, holding her at arm's length, he saw her pout at him and sniffle.

"Elmo," she said again.

"I'm sorry, squirt, but until you tell me what an elmo is, you're not going to get it," Draco said.

Melania glowered at him. "Elmo, now."

"You can keep saying it, but it's not going to just appear," Draco said.

"Please?" she asked.

Her hopeful expression damn nearly broke his heart. "Oh God, Blaise, do you have any idea what an elmo is?"

Blaise shook his head and grabbed a Butterbeer out of the pantry. "Maybe it's a muggle thing. Wait, you never told me who this kid is."

"Oh, she's Samira's niece," Draco said distractedly.

"Samira? The new bird you're dating?" Blaise asked, propping his feet up on the kitchen table and taking a sip from the bottle.

"Yeah, there's been an accident at her office and her dad got hurt, so I'm in charge of the squirt today."

Blaise chuckled. "Good luck with that, mate."

"I think she's planning something, Blaise," Draco said, watching Melania blink rapidly and stare at him with a look he couldn't quite put his finger on. "She has this evil look about her. You have to tell me what an elmo is."

"Cam we get ithe cream?" Melania asked sweetly.

Draco stared back at her. "You want ice cream?"

"Yeth," she nodded.

"Um, ok. But it's only 10 in the morning. It's a bit early for ice cream," he explained.

"Raco, we have to watch elmo," Melania said.

"Watch elmo? Elmo is something you watch?" Draco asked.

He could hear Blaise laughing.

"Yeth, on the T.B.," she said.

"T.B.? OH! It's the muggle box that Sami has at her flat," Draco recollected. "Ok, so since I don't have a key to her place and I obviously don't have one of those T.B.'s, it looks like we can't watch this Elmo thing."

"Why don't you put her down and let her walk around. She looks like she should get rid of some of that pent up energy," Blaise suggested.

Draco contemplated the advice. "Ok, squirt, here you go, walk around."

He put her down and was surprised when she latched onto his leg. "No, Raco. Up!"

Draco picked her back up and she buried her face in his neck.

"Wow, she has you wrapped around her finger, mate," Blaise mused.

Draco nodded and sat down next to Blaise. "Just like her aunt."

Blaise laughed. "So have you shagged the aunt yet?"

"Not in front of the kid, Blaise, she picks up things," Draco said.

"So that's a no," Blaise sniggered.

Draco rolled his eyes. "We've been on one date and then a lunch date and that's it."

"So?" Blaise asked.

"I'm not going to screw this one up," Draco said. "I really like her."

Blaise looked at Draco as if he had grown another head. "So if you really like her, do her."

"You're such a sensitive bloke," Draco replied with a laugh, but then he stopped. "I think she fell asleep."

Blaise looked at the girl who had her face buried in Draco's neck. "Yep, she looks out for the count. Put her down and then let's go out."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Blaise, make sure never to have kids and remind me never to let you babysit mine."

"What? She's just sleeping; she'll be fine by herself. I wanted to show you this new place in Diagon Alley that just opened. It sells naughty women's things, lingerie and the sort."

"With every word you utter, I just lose more and more respect for you," Draco said with a grin.

"Whatever," Blaise said with a shrug. "So are you going to come with me or not?"

"I have to watch her," Draco whispered, not wanting to wake Melania up.

"Then just bring her," Blaise said obviously.

"I'm not taking her to a lingerie store," Draco countered.

"You are getting so boring," Blaise whined. "Fine, we'll just walk around Diagon Alley, get the kid some ice cream when she wakes up and we can show her off."

"Show her off?" Draco asked.

"Babies are total bird magnets. The ladies will be flocking towards us in packs," Blaise said.

"You've lost your mind, Blaise. All those years of living in the dungeons might have addled your brain a bit," Draco replied.

"Let's just go please, because I have to be back at my flat by six tonight," Blaise said, standing up.

"What do you have tonight?" Draco asked, standing up and picking up the baby bag Samira had left.

"Big date," Blaise said cockily. "I am so going to score tonight."

Draco shook his head as the two of them, plus a sleeping toddler, and a baby bag left Draco's penthouse.

* * *

"I want thtrawberry and cholocate and banilla and bludger banana and dwagon dingleberry," Melania told Draco as they stood at the counter at Florean Fortescue's.

"How about you pick just one, squirt," Draco said. "I don't want to have to deal with you throwing up on me."

"Ummmmmm, dwagon dingleberry," Melania said and then put her head on his shoulder.

"Oh my goodness, she is the cutest thing!" a female voice behind Draco and Blaise sounded.

Blaise gave Draco a smirk that clearly said: 'I told you so.'

They turned to find a bleached-blonde woman wearing tight pink robes that shamelessly showed off her magically enhanced figure.

"What's your name, cutie-pie?" she asked the little girl in Draco's arm.

"Blaise," Blaise said and stuck out his hand.

The blonde woman let out a high-pitched giggle. "You're so silly," she said flirtatiously, although she didn't remove her eyes from Draco.

Draco held on to Melania tighter, almost as a shield.

"Is she yours?" she asked, her intent perfectly clear.

Blaise shook his head, taking it upon himself to act as skank ambassador. "We're just babysitting."

"Oh, how interesting," she said with a wide smile. "So would I be lucky enough to assume you're single?"

"Yes, you would," Blaise said, using his most charming smile at the same time that Draco said, "No, you wouldn't."

"Don't listen to my friend here, we're both single," Blaise corrected.

"No," Draco said. "I have a girlfriend."

"You've been on two dates, mate. She's not your girlfriend," Blaise said.

Draco would have argued but he realized he didn't really know if Samira was his girlfriend or not. They _had _only been on two dates and they'd never discussed their situation.

"RACO! Ithe Cream, NOW!" Melania squealed. She had noticed that her ice cream endeavor was being postponed due to the blonde witch.

Draco silently thanked the toddler and turned away from Blaise and the blonde woman. He grabbed the ice cream cone and handed it to Melania and left the ice cream shop quickly, not bothering to wait for Blaise.

The minute he stepped outside, he ran into two people who would have made Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley seem like a fun encounter.

"Draco! Dear, what a pleasant surprise!" Narcissa exclaimed, walking arm-in-arm with Lucius.

"Hello, mum, dad," Draco said.

"I don't recall you having any children, Draco," Lucius said, a blond eyebrow quirked.

"Oh, Lucius don't be thick. She's obviously not his. Looks nothing like him," Narcissa said.

"Mum's right, this is Melania, Samira's niece," Draco said.

"Samira? This new girl you've been seeing?" Narcissa asked, a small smile on her face.

"Yes, she's had an emergency at the office and so I'm watching the squirt," Draco said.

"Well your squirt, as you call her, has found a new use for her ice cream and it doesn't involve eating it," Lucius mentioned.

Draco looked down to his arms to find Melania spreading the ice cream on her overalls dress and sticking her fingers into her hair.

"Lovely," Draco said with a sigh.

"Draco, she is the most adorable child I have ever seen," Narcissa said. "When are you going to give me some grandchildren to spoil?"

"Hmm, let me clean her up and then I'll go work on getting you those grandkids," Draco said sardonically, pulling his wand out to vanish the mess.

"Can I hold her?" Narcissa asked, holding her hands out to the little girl.

Melania immediately put her hands out to be held, as if she was glad to be getting away from Draco.

"Oh, Draco, I'll just die if you don't get married soon," Narcissa said, cooing to the little girl in her arms.

Lucius rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Put me out of my misery, son, and do what your mother asks. And soon."

Draco nodded his head dully, like he usually did when his parents gave him the 'get married' speech. "I should get going, I don't want Samira to worry if she goes to my place and I'm not there."

"Have you fed Melania anything besides the ice cream today?" Narcissa asked, knowing her son better than anyone.

"Um… not really," Draco said.

Narcissa sighed, but her smile betrayed her excitement. "Well, I'm coming with you to make sure this little angel gets fed and changed and played with. Isn't that right, sweetheart?" Narcissa said in a sugary tone.

Draco and Lucius both rolled their eyes, but Draco actually felt grateful that his mother would help him. Especially when she mentioned changing.

"Let me just tell Blaise that I'm leaving and then we can go," Draco said.

Narcissa was too busy playing with Melania to answer, so Draco bid his father goodbye and walked back into the ice cream shop, where Blaise was still talking to the blonde bimbo.

"I'm leaving, Blaise, I'll see you at work on Monday," Draco said, purposely ignoring the blonde.

"Bye, mate," Blaise said distractedly.

Draco took one last disgusted look at the pair of them and left the shop, finding his mother and Melania in the same spot he left them.

* * *

"No, you cannot use a wand to change her diaper, Draco. Magic and babies never, ever mix. I shouldn't have let you clean her up with your wand before, but the ice cream was getting everywhere," Narcissa explained as the both of them stood in Draco's bathroom, staring down at Melania who was looking back at them with a bored look.

"So I have to do it the muggle way?" Draco asked, a horrified look on his face.

"I had to do it the muggle way with you," Narcissa countered. "I pride myself on never getting you a nanny or letting the house-elves take care of you. I was a very good mum," she said haughtily.

"That's great mum, but it doesn't get the kid's diaper clean," Draco said, running his hand through his hair.

"Oh, fine, I'll do it, _again_," Narcissa said exasperatedly.

Draco squeezed his mother and kissed her cheek. "You're the best, mum."

"Yes, I know. Now get out. Melania and I do not need you. Right, darling?" she asked, tickling Melania.

Draco sped out of the bathroom and plopped himself onto the couch.

It had been a very long day. Even with his mother's help, Melania still ran him around his flat, making him chase her from room to room and twice ending up washing her hands in the toilet when he turned his back for the slightest second.

He had played every game imaginable with her, even sung a few songs and recited a few nursery rhymes, making his mother swear not to tell another living soul.

The knock at the door broke Draco's relaxation. He opened it to find Samira on the other side, a smile on her face and a tired expression clearly written across it.

"Hey, Sami," he greeted, stepping aside to let her enter.

"Hello, Draco, how did everything go?" she asked.

"It went… ok, I guess," he replied, stealing a quick kiss from her.

"Draco, dear, who's at the door… oh," Narcissa stood at the entrance of the living room, holding Melania. "You must be Samira."

Samira nodded her head dumbly. "Yes, um… and you must be Draco's mother."

Narcissa smiled and walked towards them. "I can see how much my son has spoken of me. Not very much, obviously."

Samira laughed nervously, "I'm sorry, I didn't expect to be meeting you looking like I just walked out of a homeless shelter. I've been running from the hospital and the office all day."

"Oh don't be silly, dear. I can see why Draco is absolutely besotted with you…"

"Mum..." Draco warned. "None of that now."

Narcissa smirked.

"I see that you and Melania are getting along," Samira pointed out. "Usually, the minute she sees me, she starts squealing my name and running towards me."

"Let me just say, that she is the most wonderful little child I've ever had the pleasure to meet. She's just a doll," Narcissa gushed. "I've been telling Draco to hurry up and get me some of my own grand—"

"Mum! Really…" Draco pleaded.

"Oh, my mum is the exact same way," Samira admitted. "Ever since my brother had Melania, my mother has been on my case."

"And she's absolutely right," Narcissa said. "You two aren't getting any younger…"

"Ok, Mum. Thanks for all the help today, I think I hear dad through the floo," Draco insisted.

Narcissa chuckled and handed Melania over to Samira, but not before giving the little girl one last kiss and hug. "I can see when I'm not wanted. It was nice meeting you, Samira. I hope to see you again, soon."

Samira nodded. "Same, Mrs. Malfoy. And I do thank you for any help you gave Draco with Melania."

"Not a problem, dear, and I pray that I will get to see the little angel again."

Narcissa bid them both farewell and left through the floo, saying one last time that Draco needed to get his bum in gear and get her some grandchildren.

"Auntie Tham, Raco is take me to ithe cream, today," Melania chatted happily to Samira.

"He did? Well isn't that nice of him. Did you thank him?" she asked.

"Thankth, Raco," Melania said, with an innocent smile.

Draco smiled back. "It was fun, Sami, I really kind of had fun with her today."

"Yeah? That's great! I was so afraid I would come back and find that she had mutinied against you in some sort of toddler rebellion and you would have vowed to never want to see me again," Samira said with a laugh.

"Your imagination is a bit off," Draco replied. "But I do have a question before you leave."

"What is it?" Samira asked, picking up Melania's baby bag and walking with Draco towards the door.

"What are we?" he asked seriously, leaning against the door.

Samira furrowed her brows. "That's a very vague question, Draco."

"I mean, what are we relationship wise?"

"Oh," Samira bit her lip. "I'm not sure. Why? Did you get propositioned today?" she asked jokingly.

"Well I was asked if I was single and my friend told me that I was but I told him I had a girlfriend."

Samira smiled. "And who is this girlfriend? Do I know her?"

Draco grinned back. "Yeah, she's pretty much the most gorgeous girl on the planet besides this little squirt over here."

Samira felt her cheeks warm up. If she was still blushing at this stage, then she really had to work on some things when it came to Draco Malfoy.

"I'll have to meet her one of these days," Samira replied.

Draco laughed. "Can I see you tomorrow, then?"

"I'll still be babysitting tomorrow, but Michael and Rosa come back tomorrow night, so at around 7 pm I'll be free."

"Then tomorrow at 7, I'll meet you at your flat," Draco said.

Samira felt the proverbial butterflies swimming around in her stomach. "Ok."

Draco leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"No kith Auntie Tham," Melania said, pushing his face away with her sticky little hand. "Only kith me."

Draco and Samira laughed. Draco kissed Melania on her chubby cheek and smiled when she giggled as if being tickled.

"You know, you're really great with kids, Draco," Samira said.

Draco shook his head. "Only because I'm not in charge anymore. Oh, and don't tell my mother."

With a smile, Samira said her goodbye, giving him one last peck on the lips, much to Melania's disapproval, and left him standing by his door, feeling happier than he had felt in a long time.

* * *


	5. A Puzzle I Don't Understand

Disclaimer: I own this stuff….. not

A/N: The chapter title comes from the song 'Is It Any Wonder' by Keane

Thanks to my koukla for her help on everything!

* * *

**Chapter 5: A Puzzle I Don't Understand**

Draco watched his employees present another client's case to him, citing bankruptcy and irreconcilable negotiations on mergers. Dragon Elgin Enterprise took care of most of the Wizarding world's finances, including Hogwarts, most stores in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, and Draco's favorite: Dunvale Apothecary Inc., where Samira worked.

"And finally, we have agreed to settle the business's previous incomes and profits from the past five fiscal years," Blaise concluded.

Draco nodded his head in agreement and gestured for his subordinates to take seats as he stood up to address them.

"Good work, team," he started. "Next week, we're meeting with some Ministry officials to go over covering individual basis financial advising. They want to make it so that Ministry workers have the option of using Dragon Elgin Enterprises to help them get out of debt, control and organize their spending more wisely, and to invest correctly in different stocks and bonds."

Before Draco could continue, Daphne Greengrass, a former Slytherin and the company's secretary poked her head into the boardroom.

"Mister Malfoy, I'm sorry to interrupt, but your one o' clock appointment is here," she said.

"Thank you, Daphne, I'll be right there," he replied, trying to remember who it was he was meeting.

"Ok, Blaise, wrap up this meeting and go over the minutes with Carlos. Report back to me before you leave today," Draco said, leaving the room and approaching his office.

He almost tripped over his own feet when he found Samira sitting on his desk, her legs crossed and her smile bordering on wanton hussy.

"Sami! What a pleasant surprise," Draco exclaimed, walking towards his desk as he shut the door behind him.

"I thought it would be nice to repay the visit you gave me from a while back," Samira said, standing up from the desk and meeting Draco halfway with a peck on the cheek.

"I've missed you," he said, hugging her to his chest.

She smiled and felt all melty and gooey at his words. "I've missed you more," she said with a laugh. "But it's only been a week since you last saw me. Melania has been talking about you nonstop since then."

"Seems she has similar tastes in men as her aunt," he teased.

Samira rolled her eyes and took a seat on his desk again. "I was wondering when I would be able to see you again, because I've been completely swamped at work and I know you've been busy."

"How did you know I've been busy?" he asked, sitting next to her on his desk. He would have liked to do more than just sit with her on that desk… primarily, shag her petite little body into oblivion… but they could save that for a rainy day.

Samira blushed a bit as she held his hand, "I might have flooed your office once or twice… or nine times."

Draco laughed and put his arm around her shoulders. "That just about makes me the happiest bloke around here," he whispered, kissing her cheek.

"What? Me stalking you like a complete weirdo?" Samira laughed.

Draco laughed again and couldn't help himself from kissing her smack-dab on those plump pink lips of hers.

"God, you taste good," he said after pulling away and leaving her flustered and blinking rapidly.

Samira smiled and licked her lips, feeling exciting things happen to her nether regions. Just being around Draco, her body lusted after him like a bloody dog in heat.

"I was thinking about making dinner for you," she said. "Tonight, since it's Friday. You want to come over?"

"I'd love to," Draco said, unable to wipe that stupid smile off of his face.

"Ok, good," Samira breathed. "I was afraid you'd say no."

"Why on earth would I say no?" he asked, stroking her cheeks with his thumb.

"That's just my inner low-self-esteem talking, ignore it," she smiled.

He laughed and brought her lips to his again. She rubbed her lips on his seductively, teasing him by keeping them closed and then snaking her tongue out to touch his lips.

"Now boss, do all your appointments get this treatment?" Blaise asked from the door, leaning against the frame and smirking at the two of them.

Samira practically shot to her feet, smoothing down her clothes and aiming her gaze to the floor. Her cheeks flamed with color and Draco wanted to cast an unforgivable on Blaise for making her uncomfortable.

"Ever heard of knocking, Zabini?" Draco asked, standing up from the desk and inviting Blaise into the room.

"I've heard of it, but I'm not a fan," Blaise laughed. "Are you ever going to introduce me to your lady friend, or am I going to have to do it myself?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Samira, this is my most annoying employee, Blaise Zabini. Blaise, this is Samira Dunvale."

Blaise picked up her hand and gave it a kiss, causing Draco to roll his eyes again. "A pleasure to finally meet you, Samira. Oh, and Draco's lying, I'm also his bestest friend, not just his most annoying employee."

Samira smiled. "Bestest? Have you been hanging around with my niece? She uses similar vernacular," Samira said, a playful smile on her face.

"I've met your niece and I must say she's as cute as a button," Blaise commented.

Draco snorted. "Did you realize this after you refused to hold her or before you allowed her to wash her hands in the toilet while I was looking for her bottle?"

Blaise smothered a laugh with a cough and gave his most charming smile to Samira who was raising her eyebrows in merriment.

"Now is there a reason you've interrupted my appointment?" Draco asked.

Blaise suppressed a snort at Draco's choice of words. "Daphne just informed me that our mothers have invited us to dinner on Saturday at the Manor. Your parents want to meet my new step-father, number 8 I think, and they want you and me to attend."

Draco groaned and slumped into his chair like a child who hadn't gotten his way. "I'd rather serve the Dark Lord again," he mumbled.

Samira shot him a scandalized look and shook her head.

"Did they say if we could bring guests?" Draco asked, resigned to his fate of attending dinner with his parents.

"I'm not sure, it's your old house, so it's not like they're going to turn you away if you bring Samira," Blaise guessed. "I wouldn't bring a guest if my life depended on it… my mother would think I was finally settling down. This comes from the woman who goes through husbands like a drunk goes through liquor."

Draco laughed at his friend… but noticed when Samira forced a laugh, her eyes turning wary and fearful. He would stow that away with all the other questions he had for her about her peculiar behavior and slips of the tongue.

"So do you want to go, Sami?" Draco asked.

"Dinner at your parent's house?" Samira asked, gnawing her bottom lip with her teeth. "Umm… ok, I guess that would be alright."

"Don't be nervous about it," Blaise assured. "The Malfoys' barks are far, far worse than their bites. Mrs. Malfoy is the sweetest lady when you get to know her."

"I've met her before," Samira said. "And she is lovely, but I've only known Draco for three weeks, isn't it too soon to meet the parents?"

"If you're not ready to meet them, Sam, then I'm not going to force you, frankly, I'd give up my inheritance not to show up to this, but if I go, I'd like to show you off."

Samira smiled. "Ok, I'll go."

"Thank the heavens, because now they won't bother me about girls," Draco sighed with relief.

"Oh, they'll still do it, except now you've dragged poor Samira into it," Blaise laughed.

"I'm sure it won't be that bad," Samira said. "In fact, I think it'll be fun."

Blaise and Draco exchanged looks. "Sure… fun."

Samira laughed and looked down at her watch. "Oh, but I've got to run, I have a meeting at St. Mungo's and my father will be upset if I'm late. I'll see you two tomorrow, and Draco, I'll see you tonight. 8 o' clock ok?"

Draco nodded and kissed her once more before watching her leave his office towards the communal floo in the hallway.

Blaise looked at is friend and shook his head. "You are in so deep."

"Huh?" Draco asked, turning back to his office.

"You, my friend, are smitten. S-m-i-t-t-e-n. Smitten," Blaise sang.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Zabini. Maybe you should get back to work and sort out if you're thinking clearly or not," Draco said, pushing his friend out of his office.

Blaise laughed as he was unkindly pushed out of the door by Draco, who was clearly in denial.

* * *

"So how's it going with this Malfoy fella I heard about?" Rosa Dunvale asked Samira. Rosa was Michael's wife and Melania's mother, making her Samira's sister-in-law.

"It's going… wonderful," Samira sighed as she walked by Rosa who was pushing Melania in her little cart.

Samira, Rosa and Melania were at the wizarding grocery shop in Diagon Alley.

"Michael told me that this bloke does something with accounting," Rosa said as they looked at the produce.

"He owns his own financial company," Samira said. "And Rosa, he's just about the most fantastic person I've ever met."

"You really like him, then?" Rosa asked with a grin.

Samira nodded her head and put some fruits into their cart. "Melania likes him too, don't you sweetheart?"

"Yeth," Melania agreed, though she had no idea of whom they were speaking.

"Have you told him about Seb--" Rosa started.

"No," Samira said quickly, her smile disappearing. "It's in the past."

"Samira," Rosa said in her most mothering voice. "If you really care about this Draco, then you have to tell him about what happened. He deserves to know and especially if you're thinking of being serious with him… even if you don't think it's not necessary, he really needs to know."

Samira's eyes filled with hopelessness and sadness. "I really care about Draco, Rosa. I don't want to give him a reason to leave."

"If he cares about you as much as you do him, then he won't leave for what has happened to you. It's not as if it was your fault."

"I'm not ready to tell him," Samira said in a small voice. "He'll think the worst of me… I already do."

Rosa shook her head in exasperation. "Ok then… I won't tell you how to run this relationship into the ground, because you seem to be doing a pretty good job of it yourself."

Samira ignored her sister-in-law and picked up Melania from the cart, because she was getting fussy.

"Now what else are you going to make him for dinner?" Rosa asked, changing the subject.

"Uh, I was thinking of making some couscous with lamb… like mum taught me," Samira said.

"Can't go wrong with Moroccan cooking," Rosa said as they turned into the meat section of the grocery shop.

_SMASH_

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry!" a redheaded woman apologized after hitting their cart with hers.

"It's not a problem," Rosa said, backing up. "Are you ok?"

The woman nodded and looked relieved. "I'm glad your daughter wasn't sitting in the cart, I'm really so sorry."

"Don't worry about it, we're all fine," Samira added.

A brunette woman came up next to the red-headed one, with a little baby in her arms. "Ginny, where on earth did you go?"

"I told you I was going to check the price of these nappies," the red-headed one replied.

"Auntie Tham! Look, baby!" Melania shrieked, pointing to the brunette woman, who was indeed carrying an infant.

"He's adorable," Rosa said. "How old is he?"

The one named Ginny smiled. "He's a month old and he's my first."

"He's just about the sweetest thing I've seen," Samira said, looking at the little baby. "What's his name?"

"James," she replied. "After my deceased father-in-law."

"That's so lovely," Rosa said sincerely. "And he really is such a cute baby… going to grow up to be so handsome."

"Thanks," she replied. "I'm Ginny, by the way."

The rest of them introduced each other, ending with Samira.

"What a pretty name," the brunette said. "It's Arabic, right?"

Samira nodded and looked closer at the brunette woman. "My mum is from Morocco."

"Is there something on my face?" the one named Hermione asked.

Samira shook her head and laughed. "No, sorry… it's just, I feel like I've seen you before, I just can't remember where."

"Oh, well maybe we work together… I work at the Ministry with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Do you work there perchance?" Hermione asked.

Samira shook her head again. "I work for my father's company. I just can't remember where I've seen you before, but I know for sure that I've seen you somewhere."

Hermione thought for a moment and handed baby James over to Ginny. "Um, maybe we went to school together. Did you go to Hogwarts?"

"No, I went to Beauxbatons… my boyfriend went to Hogwarts, but I haven't met any of his schoolmates except for one."

"Oh? Who's your boyfriend?" Ginny asked. Any gossip was welcome by her.

"Draco Malfoy," Samira said and then regretted it when she saw the looks in the other girls' eyes. "I'm assuming you know him."

Hermione smiled. "Let's just say we weren't what you would call friends."

"Oh!" Samira said suddenly. "I remember where I've seen you. You were at lunch one day with this red-headed man and Draco and I saw you. Granger is what he called you."

"That's my surname," Hermione said with a knowing smile. "You seem like such a nice person, why Malfoy?"

Samira didn't know whether to be offended or not. "Draco is a really great person. I don't know what he was like in school, but knowing what I do about his past, he seems to have changed for the better."

"Well, that's good then," Ginny said. "I just always thought he'd end up with that cow, Parkinson."

Samira stowed that piece of information for later and smiled at them. "Is the man that you were with at the restaurant related to Ginny?"

Hermione nodded. "My husband, Ron, is Ginny's brother."

"Interesting," Rosa added. "Must be a sisters-in-law shopping day today."

The women laughed and bade each other a goodbye as they got along with their shopping.

"Bye BABY!!" Melania squealed as the other two women left. She had been quiet the entire time, saving up for her grand goodbye.

When Hermione and Ginny were out of sight, Samira turned to Rosa. "Well, that was awkward."

"Who would have thought that they would know Draco? And know him in the not nice way. Seems they don't like your boyfriend very much."

"Yeah," Samira agreed. "Turns out Draco doesn't much care for the brunette. I don't know about Ginny, but since she's the redhead's sister from the restaurant… I wouldn't think he'd like her much, either."

Rosa laughed. "Childhood rivalries are the most immature form of any relationship I have experienced. They sure do make up for some good drama, though."

Samira rolled her eyes at Rosa and they continued their errands without running into anymore of Draco's childhood nemeses.

* * *

"I simply cannot eat another bite," Draco lounged back in his chair, rubbing his stomach. "It was amazing, Sami… you're a great cook."

Samira smiled so sweetly that it made his stomach feel empty again. Lately he'd been wondering why the little things she did affected him so much. He'd only been dating her for nearly a month, but it seemed like they were so much more than just a regular old couple. Or maybe it was that he _wanted_ more.

Whoa. That thought had never… ever… entered his mind before. He had never been with a girl as long as he had been with Samira. She made him laugh, she made him smile… she made him forget about his troublesome past. Her exoticness gave her a trait of being mysterious, unable to be figured out. But he desperately wanted to figure her out.

"I'm really glad you liked it, Draco," she said, picking up his plate and taking it to the kitchen.

He followed her and leaned against the counter as she washed the dishes the muggle way.

"I never think magic cleans dishes as well as hands do," she explained.

Draco nodded as his thoughts strayed again. All he had been doing for the past few weeks was letting his thoughts stray... mostly to Samira. He thought about her when he was at work, when he was at home. At any given moment, he was usually thinking about her. And that was a bit scary for a man who had never thought that much about another human being.

"So about tomorrow night," Samira interrupted his thoughts. "What should I wear?"

"Preferably… nothing," Draco teased. Samira laughed and blew soap suds at him.

"Can you imagine me showing up at your parents' house wearing nothing?" Samira asked.

Draco's eyes raked over what Samira was wearing. She always dressed so professionally with her feminine suits with skirts that fell just below the knee, leaving oh so much to his naughty imagination. Tonight she had opted for a denim skirt that went to her knee, putting Draco in a quandary. He wanted her to show off her irresistible thighs, but then, he wouldn't want her to go out in public like that.

Was he becoming protective? Lord have mercy… he was turning domestic. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her that she should hike up her skirt more, but only for him. But he kept his mouth shut, knowing that women probably didn't like being told what to wear by men.

"Did I tell you that you look stunning tonight?" he chose to say.

Samira dried her hands on a towel and approached Draco predatorily. "Did I tell you that you look stunning every time I see you?" she replied.

Draco smiled and brought her into his arms, taking in her flowery scent that caused most of his brain processes to run into each other in a traffic jam of cognitive proportions.

They still had not… um… done the deed. Kissing that made their eyes water, yes… but no nooky. He wondered why they had waited so long.

"Draco, I think we should clear something up," Samira said softly, nuzzling her face into his neck. Yeah, she really shouldn't be doing that if she wanted his undivided attention.

He gently nudged her away before she could feel the affect she was having on him… down south. "Yeah?" he asked.

"I'm sure you're wondering," she started, biting that luscious lower lip of hers. "Why we haven't um, had sex yet."

"Is that all it would be between us?" Draco asked, unable to believe those words were coming out of his mouth. Who was the female in this relationship? "Just sex?"

Samira shook her head dazedly. "No, it wouldn't, Draco, that's what I'm trying to say. I don't want it to be just that… and that's why I've been waiting. I don't want to ruin what we have by jumping into bed with you. And I don't want you to think I'm some ice-queen who doesn't want to jump your bones, because I do."

Draco raised an eyebrow at her. She sure was being honest.

"Ok, so I sound like a complete skank talking like that, but I just wanted to get it off of my chest. You do understand, don't you?"

"Yes, I do… and you don't sound like a skank," he reassured her, pulling her back into his arms.

She just felt right in his arms… and that thought also scared him. But a good kind of scared.

"I'd ask you to stay the night, but I don't want you to get your hopes up," Samira said, muffled against his chest.

"Get my hopes up? You mean we wouldn't have a slumber party, tell ghost stories, braid each other's hair, and paint our toenails?" Draco asked, keeping a straight face.

Her laugh made his heart race. Gracious, she could get him all wound up without even trying… little did he know that he was doing just the same to her.

Leaning into his embrace, Samira wiped at her eyes, which had grown wet with all her laughter. His arms surrounded her and it felt so good to be with him, relying on his strength… but that was a dangerous road. To depend on a man…

But she felt so wonderful when he held her and caressed her skin with the lightest of touches, sending all the heat of her body towards a central point she wouldn't mention in front of others.

"We could just talk, I could make some tea," she said. "I feel silly admitting this, but I just don't want you to leave yet."

Draco smiled against her hair. It smelled like… perfection… if that had a smell. "I don't want to leave either. Put the kettle on and I'll meet you in the living room."

She watched him walk into the living room, secretly thanking anything that would listen that Draco had removed his cloak and she could watch his tight behind in those black slacks that hugged him so deliciously.

Samira walked to the refrigerator and stuck her head in the freezer to cool her racy thoughts down. Damn that man and his gargantuan sexual appeal.

She decided to use her wand to boil the water faster and make the Earl Grey tea using loose leaves. She carried the two mugs into her living room to find Draco standing in front of her TV watching with wide eyes.

"What on earth is that, Sami?" he asked, pointing to the screen.

Samira held in a laugh as she watched Draco's horrified face.

"That's Melania's sing-along show. I must have left the tape in there," she said.

"_Children_ watch this?" he asked with worry. "A red monster looking thing with a high-pitched voice… shit, Sami… this is what nightmares are made of."

Samira laughed again, diverting Draco's attention from the television. "That's just Elmo."

"Elmo? That thing Melania was crying about last week?"

Samira nodded and placed the mugs of tea on the coffee table. "He's a puppet, or a nuppet… I forget what it is… oh! A muppet."

"What the hell's a muppet?" Draco asked, flopping down onto the leather couch near Samira.

Samira shrugged and scooted closer to Draco on the couch, resting her head on his shoulder. "I have no idea… but Melania loves it and as long as it keeps her happy, then it stays."

"You really love that kid," Draco mused, snaking his arm around her shoulders.

Samira couldn't think of a time she felt more comfortable.

"I do," Samira said simply.

Draco cleared his throat and his next words surprised her. "Are you ever going to tell me why you have such an aversion to alcohol? I know it's not just a preference, but I think there's more to the story than you've shared with me."

Samira released a shaky breath. How long could she keep him in the dark? "Not tonight, Draco. Please?"

He nodded against her and kissed the top of her head. "Fine, another subject. You pick."

Samira thought for a moment. "I ran into two of your former schoolmates yesterday when I was shopping with Rosa."

"Yeah? Who were they?" Draco asked, running a finger down her arms and making it hard for her to remember what she was talking about.

"Well one of them accidentally ran into our cart, her name was Ginny and her friend was named Hermione," Samira said.

Draco choked and sputtered on the sip of tea he was taking. Samira patted him on the back as he coughed up the Earl Grey that went down the wrong pipe.

"You met the she-weasel and the mud… and Granger?" he said, his cheeks pink from nearly choking to death.

Samira looked at him with her big brown eyes. "They seemed very nice… until I told them that I was your girlfriend."

"They weren't rude to you, were they?" he asked, a hint of anger taking over his voice.

Samira put her hand to his cheek and leaned over to kiss his other cheek. "No, but they didn't understand what a nice girl like me was doing with a rascal like you," she said with a jesting smile.

Draco relaxed under her soft touch. "_I_ still don't understand," he replied.

Samira scoffed at this. "You are a magnificent person, Draco… it doesn't matter what you were like in school or what you did. What matters is the person you are now. We've all made mistakes and we all have things in our pasts that we regret. Don't allow anyone to let you think poorly of yourself for what has already happened."

Draco felt like he had heard a similar speech from her, but thought that they spoke so much that things were bound to be repeated.

"Now, no more self-pitying," Samira said in the same tone she used to scold Melania.

"Ok, Auntie Tham," Draco laughed.

His laugh and smile made her want to grab his face and kiss his lips until they were chapped…

Which was precisely what she did.

* * *

Samira looked around the massive dining room of Malfoy Manor as she was led by Narcissa and Lucius. Draco kept a firm grip on her hand, keeping her from completely hyperventilating.

She knew that the Dark Lord had once used this very house as a hideout towards the end of the war. But that wasn't the thing that scared her… she was excitably nervous that she would screw up in front of Draco's parents.

She wiped her sweaty palm against the light green cocktail dress she had bought on a whim. It rounded her shoulders with winged straps and fell down to her knees, hugging her curves modestly.

At the door, Narcissa had embraced her immediately, since they had already met once. They were practically family, according to Narcissa, of course.

Lucius pretty much epitomized the meaning of aristocratic gentleman. His charming smile and superb manners were not what Samira expected from Voldemort's old crony.

They ushered the young couple into the dining room where Samira spotted Blaise sitting next to an extremely dolled up, but beautiful woman and a man who seemed to be half her age sitting on the other side of her.

Introductions were thrown around quickly and before she knew it, she was sitting in between Draco and Narcissa, facing Blaise and his clearly dysfunctional family, eating the most delicious meal she had ever tasted.

"So, Samira, Draco tells us you work for your father's company," Lucius started as he made polite conversation.

Samira nodded and dabbed at her mouth with the napkin in her lap. "I head the potions division for his apothecary company."

"Oh, a working woman?" Blaise's mother, Esmeralda, said. She used a tone that assured Samira that it was not good to be a working woman.

Samira smiled politely, but she knew deep down that she could never fit in with the likes of the extravagantly wealthy purebloods.

Narcissa raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "What's wrong with being a working woman, Esmeralda?"

The dark-haired woman waved a hand in the air. "Nothing, nothing. I'm old-fashioned, darling. Don't pay me any mind. I've always been an advocate for a woman taking care of her household."

Blaise rolled his eyes so that only Draco, Samira and Narcissa saw his action. Samira and Draco suppressed laughs.

"Would you make her quit her job, Draco?" Esmeralda's young husband asked. He seemed very arrogant and perfect for a woman like Blaise's mother.

Draco cleared his throat and stilled his hand which was moving a fork around on his plate. "I beg your pardon?"

"Would you make Miss Dunvale quit her job to take care of the household?" he asked again.

Samira would have laughed out loud, if it were appropriate. But it wasn't appropriate.

"I wouldn't ever force her to do anything she didn't want to do. She has a mind of her own and can make decisions better than any man I've ever met," he said solidly.

Samira wanted to pounce on him right there and then and lay the biggest kiss on him that she could manage. Good thing she had a bit of self-control.

A house-elf walked around and poured each of them a glass of wine. Samira's eyes widened slightly, her brain quickly trying to figure out how to not drink the offending drink and not insult the Malfoys.

"Oh, we don't drink," Draco said, being the chivalrous, noble man that she was starting to fall for… very quickly.

Lucius bit back a laugh and miserably failed. "Since when, son?"

Draco shrugged his shoulders. "I've given it up and Samira doesn't drink either."

Narcissa could read her son better than anyone could imagine. She hid a knowing smile and ordered the house-elf to serve Draco and Samira some freshly made mango juice.

"Draco," Blaise started to say, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "You must tell my mother how handy you are with a nappy and baby bottle."

Draco narrowed his eyes at his best friend, but quickly replaced it with a half-smile.

Blaise recounted their adventure in babysitting Melania, using his good-natured humor and wit. He ended on the note where they found Melania washing her hands in the toilet and using a cup she found to pour the water out onto the floor.

"That reminds me, Draco," Narcissa said after laughing for a good whole minute. "When will I get to see that precious girl again? Or better yet, when am I going to see my own grandch--"

"Mum," Draco warned.

Narcissa raised both of her eyebrows in mirth. "Oh, come now, Draco. We all know you and Samira are made for each other."

Draco groaned and placed his face in his hands. He didn't want to scare Samira off, but his mother's matchmaking prowess was an event unable to be reigned in.

Samira swallowed the lump in her throat as the conversation turned towards a point where she really did not want to go. And for reasons no one would understand.

"Your father and I were married within a month of courtship," Narcissa rambled. "Any idiot can see that you two can't keep your eyes off of each other, even Blaise can see it."

Blaise laughed at the insult and winked at Draco. Samira's cheeks were beyond pink and her heart was racing, hoping that the conversation wouldn't go towards the dreaded, dreaded subject.

Another groan. Draco removed his face from his hands and glowered at his mother. "So, anyways, what's this I hear about you and father going on a cruise around the Mediterranean?"

"Don't go changing the subject," Esmeralda said from the other side of the table. "I wish Blaise would finally settle down with a girl and continue the Zabini line."

Blaise snorted very ungraciously. "Just one girl, mum? How boring. But then again, you can't expect me to settle with just one girl when _you're_ my role model."

Esmeralda shook her head at her son and rolled her eyes in the same manner that he did.

"Back to what I was saying," Narcissa said, her pastel blue eyes becoming brighter as she talked more and more about the subject dear to her heart… grandkids.

"Mum, I really don't think this is appropriate dinner conversation. Displaying my relationship with Samira around like this. You're making her uncomfortable," he said, his frustration slowly ebbing into his tone.

Narcissa turned to Samira. "Am I making you uncomfortable, dear?"

Narcissa was so sweet that Samira just shook her head.

"See?" Narcissa said, a smug look on her face.

Draco sighed and rubbed his forehead with his hand.

"Now, Draco, don't be so difficult. I just want to see you settled down and happy. You're getting older and I don't want you to wait forever to have kids," Narcissa said.

Draco thought about the different ramifications for the things he wanted to do: suicide, homicide, just to name a few. With another drawn out sigh, he gave in. "Ok, mum. Whatever you say."

"I'm serious, Draco. Oh, just forget it, it's pointless talking to you," Narcissa said. "Samira, dear, what about you?"

Samira folded her hands in her lap, avoiding eye contact with anybody but the empty plate in front of her. "What about me?"

"Do you understand what I'm trying to explain? You and Draco remind me so much of Lucius and myself that it's pretty much idiocy not to mention your future with him. I just have that mother's intuition where I know you two are in it for the long-run."

Samira nodded and thanked the heavens that the conversation steered clear of Narcissa's favorite subject… grandkids.

Lucius cleared his throat, sounding so much like Draco. "Narcissa, pet, I think they get the point."

Narcissa huffed and shut her mouth. Lucius had the ability to command anyone and anything in the politest way possible.

"Where did you two meet?" Esmeralda asked, having enjoyed the conversation she was watching. It was better than her stories.

"I met Samira at a pub near my penthouse," Draco clarified.

"I thought you said you didn't drink," Blaise said with a smirk.

"That's right… that was the last time I touched the stuff," he said.

"How sweet," Esmeralda said with a grin. "Now, Samira, Blaise told me what a good aunt you are to your little niece. Do you like children?"

Samira nodded and her stomach clenched at the direction the conversation was reverting back to. Damn it all.

"I take care of her when her parents are busy and I've always liked children, so Melania is such a blessing to have around," Samira said.

"Do you plan to have children?" Esmeralda asked.

Draco could practically feel the air in the room change. Samira had tensed in her seat, her breathing changing rhythm and her blinking becoming extremely rapid. He placed a comforting hand on her thigh beneath the table that didn't seem to calm her.

Samira swallowed the lump in her throat and seemed to make a decision the way her eyes kept shifting around. "Um, no. I don't plan to have children."

Draco was surprised by this revelation, but didn't show it. Hell, he was shocked. She _didn't_ plan on having kids?

Esmeralda and Narcissa showed _their_ shock quite clearly.

Esmeralda sputtered, "But, why ever not?"

Draco instantly wished he had never brought Samira to his parents' house for dinner. He looked over at Blaise who also seemed to notice the tears stinging the back of her eyes and her shaky hands.

Samira took a steadying breath. "If you'll excuse me," she said and before Draco could stop her, jumped out of her seat and practically ran out of the room.

Lucius shook his head and stared angrily at his guests. "Are you lot happy now? You drove the poor girl near tears bringing up things that shouldn't have been discussed. Draco, excuse yourself and go after her. Bring her back so these two hens can apologize."

Narcissa and Esmeralda had the decency to feel utter guilt at what had just happened.

Draco glared at his and Blaise's mother, standing up quickly and leaving the dining room.

He searched the entire bottom floor, looking for Samira and quietly calling her name. He ran into one of the house-elves who said they saw the pretty young woman lock herself in the bathroom on the second floor.

Well, she certainly didn't mean to run away… but she had wanted to get as far away from the dining room as possible without actually leaving, Draco assumed.

He walked up the grand flight of stairs towards the second landing and approached the bathroom that the house-elf had mentioned.

He knocked on the door and heard a sniff from inside; a tight grip on his heart followed that sound. "Sami?"

He heard another sniff and then the sink turn on with a steady flow of water.

"Samira, please open up," he said through the door. His voice held such gentleness that Samira almost started crying again.

Instead, she wiped her face on a towel and fanned her face, as if that was going to hide the effects of her sobs. She opened the door to find Draco staring at her with the most concern and worry she had ever seen from anyone. And then the damn waterworks came again.

She stepped into his arms and cried into his chest. He rubbed her back and whispered soft reassurances in her ear, all the while kissing her cheeks and the top of her head.

"I'm sorry, Draco," she said once she had stopped crying and stood in his embrace.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," he said firmly. "Those two had no right digging into our business and I'm so sorry I brought you here today. I had a feeling they were going to do something like this."

"Everyone must think I'm some sort of nutso, running off like that," she admitted. "I don't know what came over me."

But she did know…

"Forget them," he said bitterly. He leaned back and tipped her head up with his finger hooked under her chin.

Her dark eyes were rimmed in red and stood shiny against her features. Her eyelashes had spiked from the moisture and it broke his heart.

He leaned down and kissed her softly on her pouty lips.

"Let's get out of here," he said quietly against her mouth.

Samira shook her head. "I can't just leave, Draco. We'll say goodbye to everyone first and then we can go."

He had to hand it to her. She was made of some pretty strong stuff if she wanted to face everyone again after what had happened. He held her close to him as they walked back to the dining room.

Upon their arrival, Narcissa hugged Samira, apologizing profusely for being so insensitive and for making her feel uncomfortable. Esmeralda apologized too, minus the hug.

"Thank you for dinner," Samira said quietly. "It was so nice meeting all of you."

"Sorry to leave so early, but something came up," Draco lied. "I'll floo you later in the week, mum."

And with that, Samira and Draco left the manor and walked out to the Apparition point.

Outside of Samira's door to her flat, Draco ran a finger down her cheek and looked into the depths of her eyes which held so much sadness and so much mystery, that he didn't even know what to say.

There were a million questions running through his head, primarily, what had prompted her reaction back at the manor and what she meant by saying she didn't plan to have kids. She seemed to have noticed the inquisitiveness in his eyes, so she looked away from him and stared past his shoulder.

Leaning up on her toes, she kissed his lips and mumbled a lame goodnight, claiming exhaustion.

He nodded in agreement and watched her walk into her flat, wondering to himself when he was going to finally going to learn the truth.

It really interested him that he _had_ to know the truth… because he was falling for her. Shit… he was falling for her so hard, that when he finally hit the ground, it had better be cushioned.


	6. Don't Stop It Before It Begins

Disclaimer: I do not own HP related things

A/N: I'm a horrible, horrible person for taking so long with this. But the semester is almost over, so updates will be more frequent! Thank you so much for all the reviews, guys!! Thanks as well to the fabulous Koukla22 for all her help! The chapter title comes from the song, "Kiwi" by Maroon 5.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Don't Stop It Before It Begins**

Draco opened his eyes to the canopy of his bed and groaned with his usual aversion to mornings. He cursed the sun that was streaming through the curtains and heating up the room.

A sudden beeping warned Draco that someone was calling him through the floo in the living room. He groaned again and got out of bed. He hated being awakened on a Saturday morning when he didn't have work. He found a shirt he had tossed on the dresser and put it on, leaving his boxers to take care of his bottom portion.

As he walked through his living room, he rubbed at his eyes, maneuvering around the furniture as to not stub his toe on any pointy corners. That would definitely make his morning wonderful.

Blaise's head was looking bored in the flames as Draco approached and sat down on the nearest chair to the fireplace.

"Morning, sunshine!" Blaise sang before laughing at Draco's scowl.

"What do you want Zabini?" Draco asked as he rested his head on his hand.

"You, me, strip club, two hours," Blaise said.

Draco narrowed his eyes. "You woke me up so that you could go to a strip club?" he practically growled.

Blaise laughed so hard he had to wipe at his eyes. "Ah, mate… I was kidding. I do love to tease you when you're in your lovely morning mood."

"You're a real laugh-riot, Blaise," Draco replied. "Now what did you really want?"

"I thought you'd like to know that I was at the office today finishing up some paperwork that I forgot about and I got an interesting owl. It seems that our contract with Dunvale Apothecary Inc. is set to expire this week."

"Ok, tell one of the interns to renew the contract," Draco said simply. "I don't see why I had to be woken up to be told this."

"If you'd let me finish…" Blaise said snidely. "The company is looking around for a new financier to handle their accounts in case there's a better deal out there somewhere."

Draco's grogginess disappeared instantly. "They want a cheaper service?"

"Draco, we have to do something. Dunvale Apothecary is our biggest client. If we lose them, we lose almost half of our business," Blaise said.

Draco ran a hand over his face. "Ok, let me get dressed and I'll be at the office in a few minutes. We can discuss it more when I get there."

Blaise nodded and his head disappeared from the flames, leaving Draco to grumble a string of choice curse words all the way back to his room.

* * *

"Now, I've contacted their representative and they said that they would be happy to schedule a time to meet with us," Blaise said as Draco looked through his files.

They were in Draco's office, going over Dunvale Apothecary's papers and records.

"I don't see why they're even thinking of switching to another financial company. We give them our best deal because they give us most of our business. No other company we work for gets their rates. Even Hogwarts pays a pretty penny."

"You'd think because you're doing the owner's daughter, they'd stay with our company," Blaise commented.

Draco shot Blaise a nasty look. "Shut up, Zabini."

Blaise's face contorted into a mask of shock. "Oh, Draco, don't tell me you haven't slept with her yet. It's been a month!"

"It's frankly none of your bloody business what I've done with Samira," Draco said.

"Are you having problems rising to the occasion?" Blaise asked, a smirk skimming his lips.

"I'm going to fire you," Draco said. "I swear to Hades, I'm going to fire you right now."

Blaise laughed and shook his head. "So, you must still be going with that whole 'I really like this bird and I don't want to ruin anything by sleeping with her' route?"

"To get you off of my back, yes, that's exactly what I'm doing," Draco said with a huff.

"I forgot to ask you," Blaise said. "About Samira… what happened at the dinner party that got her so upset?"

Draco put the papers he was looking at down and stared at Blaise. "I really don't know," he said.

"You haven't talked to her?" Blaise asked as he flicked through the folders in front of him.

"Well, it was just last night, so I haven't had much opportunity to talk to her," Draco replied. "I was going to floo her tonight; see if she wanted to come over."

"How serious are you about her?" Blaise asked.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, she said she wasn't planning on having any kids… you have to carry on the Malfoy line somehow and if you're serious about her, then that might be a problem," Blaise answered.

"I still haven't talked to her about anything, so maybe when we talk we can figure all of this out," Draco vaguely replied.

"You didn't answer my question," Blaise said.

Draco sighed and went back to blindly looking through the papers. "Yeah, I'm serious about her. If I wasn't serious, would I go through a month of celibacy?"

Blaise laughed and nodded. "Then I wish you all the best in figuring all of this out. You two look good together."

Draco smiled wanly and went back to the tedious work of seeing how they could convince their biggest client to stay on board.

Near noontime, Daphne knocked on Draco's office door.

"Daphne, what are you doing here on a Saturday?" Draco asked, inviting her in.

"I had a few loose ends to tie up organizing your schedules this week, so I thought I'd get them finished today," she replied, taking a seat next Blaise.

"Well, as you can see, we have a bit of an emergency," Draco replied, taking a seat at his desk. "Dunvale Apothecary is thinking about leaving our services."

"About that, I just got a floo from their company saying that they will meet with you this evening if it's no problem. They said they know that it's a bit unorthodox to meet on a Saturday, but they are busy all next week and wanted to get this settled as quickly as possible."

Draco nodded. "What time will they meet with us?"

"Four in the afternoon," Daphne replied, taking out her quill and pad of parchment. "You will be meeting with the owner and president, Robert Dunvale, and his second-in-command, Michael Dunvale, who also runs the charms division of the company."

Draco stifled a groan. Great, he would be meeting with Samira's father and brother. How peachy.

"I have set it up for you and Blaise to meet at their office headquarters," Daphne finished, jotting things down on her handy pad of parchment.

"Thank you, Daphne," Draco said. "Can I expect you there to take notes?"

Daphne nodded. "Am I being paid overtime?"

Draco smiled. He just loved his fellow Slytherins. "If we can keep their company, I'll give you a bonus."

Daphne gave him her best ten-watt grin. "Wonderful, I'll start on the paperwork."

* * *

When four o' clock arrived, Draco, Blaise and Daphne found themselves in one of the meeting rooms at Dunvale Apothecary Inc. One of the secretaries had led them inside and told them that the senior and junior Misters Dunvale would be with them shortly.

Michael Dunvale and his father, Robert walked into the meeting room, carrying with them rolls of parchment and each smiling softly.

Robert Dunvale was a man who looked like he was in his mid-fifties, salt-and-pepper hair to match his salt-and-pepper goatee. Laugh lines surrounded his dark brown eyes and mouth. Samira had mentioned that her father was an Anglo man, from the town of Brighton.

"Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Zabini, thank you for coming on such short notice," Robert extended his hand to the both of them.

"Mr. Dunvale, it's nice to see you again," Draco replied politely. "I know we've only met once in passing when we first signed our contract, but it is always a pleasure to see you."

"I'm sure it is, son," Robert replied, a sparkle gleaming in his eyes. "And please, call me Robert. You know my son, Michael."

They all shook hands with Samira's brother, who really looked so much like her.

Once seated, Robert Dunvale began speaking. "Now, this is quite a serious matter, since money is involved and I just want to tell you, Mr. Malfoy, that I have appreciated your prompt, precise, and wonderful services these past few years."

It sounded like a horrible break-up speech.

"I know you're a good businessman and your company is one of the most efficient I have ever worked with," he continued. "Now, I have been in this business for over twenty years and I…"

A loud knock at the door of the meeting room interrupted him. He exchanged a smile with his son and cleared his throat. "Come in," he called out.

Samira opened the door to the meeting room and stood glaring at her father and brother.

Draco knew he was headed towards the deep end because every time she entered a room, funny things happened to his insides. What a sap.

"Excuse me for the interruption," she said silkily, without really meaning it. "I wasn't aware that there was an executives meeting."

Michael hid a grin behind his hand while Robert stood up to offer his daughter a chair. "My deepest apologies, princess. I thought I left you a note."

Samira lifted an eyebrow. "Nope, I didn't receive any notes regarding a meeting with Dragon Elgin Enterprises. Is there any specific reason that I wasn't informed?"

Robert patted her on the back and took his own seat again. "A slip of my memory. Now, back to what I was saying… Mr. Malfoy, I think it would be prudent if you explain to us why you want to keep our company's business."

Draco glanced at Samira, who looked promptly annoyed, but she gave him an encouraging smile when her eyes met his.

He went through his prepared speech that he and Blaise came up with that morning.

Samira watched as Draco stood up and presented his points in a very official manner, looking very professional in his business robes. She caught her father and brother watching her as Draco was speaking and she threw them both an exasperated stare.

"Furthermore, I _know_ that Dragon Elgin Enterprises is ahead of all the other financiers in efficiency, product quality, and emergency budgetary assistance," Draco concluded as he sat back down and folded his hands on top of the table.

Robert nodded his head slowly. "You make an extremely convincing argument, Mr. Malfoy."

Michael cleared his throat and shared a glance with his father. "Draco, would you be so kind as to tell us why you give our company a special discount compared to all of your other clients?"

"It's because you're the largest company we work for. Hogwarts should be the first, but since the bulk of their accounts rest at Gringott's, we let the goblins do half of their accounts," Draco replied.

"It has nothing to do with the fact that you're seeing my daughter?" Robert asked.

"Daddy!" Samira gasped. "I just knew you had an ulterior motive in all this. Draco, you do not have answer his question."

Draco smiled. "It's quite alright, Sami. In fact, the answer is no. I do believe you have been receiving the same price for our services since the day we signed our contract two years ago. I've only been seeing Samira for a month."

"And what are your intentions with Samira?" Michael asked.

"Oh my god," Samira groaned into her hands.

Blaise held his side as he stifled his laughter unsuccessfully.

Draco cleared his throat and rubbed at his forehead. "Um, well..."

"Michael, really, this is not appropriate business conversation," Samira said.

"You are absolutely right, princess," Robert exclaimed. "Draco, tomorrow night my wife is coming back from her trip to Albania and Hungary and we would love it if you'd join us for dinner."

Samira gave Draco a look that clearly said the fiery pits of hell were a much better option than dining at her parent's house.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Draco replied, not one to insult his girlfriend's father.

"Splendid," Robert said. "Now, I believe we have a contract to renew."

Daphne produced the contract and quills for Draco and Robert to sign.

Draco turned to Robert and cleared his throat. "You weren't really planning to leave our company, were you?"

Robert and Michael smiled. "You're a smart lad, Mr. Malfoy, and you're correct. Dragon Elgin Enterprises is the best thing to happen to my company in years. I just thought that Samira would take ages for her to muster up the courage to bring you around so we could meet you."

Draco smiled at Samira who rolled her eyes. "I look forward to that dinner tomorrow night."

"As do we," Robert said jovially. "Now, I believe I have some paperwork to catch up on. If you'll all excuse me."

They watched him go and soon everyone dispersed, Blaise smirking and chuckling with Daphne. Draco mused about how close those two seemed to be getting. His matchmaking skills were shit… well, mostly nonexistent, but he would sit back and watch to see if Daphne would finally be the one to reign Blaise in.

Michael left the room after being scolded by Samira about his scheming ways, laughing all the while.

Draco leaned back in his chair as Samira watched the door close behind everybody, leaving the two of them in an empty meeting room. She turned to face him and smiled softly.

"You have no idea what you're up against come tomorrow," Samira sighed.

"I do believe we've had a similar conversation about dinner at _my_ parent's house. Just like you said, they can't be that bad," Draco spoke, itching to jump over the table and kiss her Cupid's-bow lips.

"Yes, well my mother is a practicing Gypsy, along with my maternal grandmother who lives with my parents. They'll probably try and cast a _sharajah_ on you the minute you walk in the door."

"What on earth is that?" Draco asked, a weary smile on his face.

"It's an ancient, earth magic where they sprinkle you with elm dust, salt from the Caspian Sea, and a mixture of cinnamon and myrrh. If you don't sneeze, then you're a respectable person and one that they will admire. If you sneeze, then you have evil spirits surrounding you and you are not to be trusted."

Draco didn't know whether to laugh or… well, he didn't know what else to do. "You're kidding, right?"

"My first boyfriend sneezed and they gave him the evil eye until he left the house and broke up with me the next day," Samira said. She looked dead serious. "Turns out that a year later, he was arrested for robbery of an Auror's house and money laundering."

"So this _sha_--- thing is real?"

"Romani magic is as real as it gets. It predates modern magic and is very rarely used because muggles still persecute them. That's why Gypsies try and assimilate to the Wizarding world and practice under the guise of wizard magic."

Draco nodded. "What if I sneeze?"

Samira smiled and stood up, walking over to where he sat. She sat in the chair next to his and picked up his hand. He thought she was going to kiss it, but instead, she blew on his palm and examined it closely.

"The Gypsies have been reading palms for centuries. But not the way that muggle charlatans read them. You see this line that curves down to your wrist?"

Draco looked at his palm that she was holding and nodded. "This line is your fortune line and it is very prominent."

"Fortune, as in money?"

"I'm not sure," Samira smiled. "All I know is that my mum used to tell my brother that every time she read his palm."

"You little sneak. You don't know how to read palms," Draco laughed.

"You're right, I was just looking for an excuse to touch you and to tell you that there is no need for you to worry about sneezing tomorrow. I think you're the most respectable person in the world."

Draco grabbed her hands and pulled her into his lap. Her eyes shined with excitement and amusement. "Tell me, Sami… how would you like to spend the rest of the day with me?"

Samira leaned down and kissed his lips softly. "I'd love to."

* * *

"So, I ended up as a ferret," Draco groaned as Samira wiped away her tears of laughter. "And that's my most embarrassing moment."

"You poor baby," Samira laughed. "Oh, goodness… I would have paid good money to see that."

Draco smiled over at her as they sat in his living room, talking. They had left the office and ordered take-away from a muggle place across the street and retired to his penthouse, eating and talking about everything and... everything.

"If it makes you feel any better, Draco, I've always wanted a pet ferret," she giggled.

"Ok, new topic," Draco said in mock frustration.

"Fine," Samira said as she rested her head on his lap and tried not to moan as his fingers ran through her hair. "You can pick the topic."

"Um, ok, tell me about what it was like to grow up with a sibling. I've always been curious," Draco said.

Samira smiled and tried not to think about how close Draco's goodies were to her head. His smirk told her he was thinking the same thing.

His fingers tangled in her waves of dark hair and as he wrestled his family ring out of her hair, she started speaking.

"Well, Michael is three years older than me, so we're pretty close. He was the typical big brother: teasing me, picking on me, but always protecting and looking out for me."

"He still seems to do that," Draco mentioned.

"Oh, yes, especially when it comes to the men who date me," Samira said.

"Sate my curiosity and tell me how many men," Draco asked, curling his finger around a stray lock of her hair.

"Is that jealousy I suspect?" Samira asked with a coy smile.

"Malfoys don't get jealous," Draco replied with a smirk. "But if they did, maybe I would be."

Samira laughed and grabbed the hand that wasn't playing in her hair and brought it to her lips. "Well, there isn't much to be jealous of. I had two boyfriends at Beauxbatons one of which lasted until after graduation. And that's it. I haven't had much luck in the dating department."

"Really? Just two? But… but… you're wonderful," Draco said incredulously. "What's wrong with those French boys?"

Samira felt heat rush to her cheeks. "You're too sweet, Draco," Samira smiled.

He shook his head. "Well, it doesn't matter because you're with me now and I won't be letting you out of my sight any time soon."

Samira had to resist the urge to swoon like an idiot. "Ok, Draco your turn. How many girls am I up against?"

Draco picked up two strands of her hair and tried braiding them, but ended up making a knot. "Uh, well I had two girlfriends while I was at Hogwarts and then three after I graduated."

"Five? You player, you," she teased him.

"I'm nothing compared to Blaise," Draco laughed.

"Yeah? How many for Blaise, then?" Samira asked.

"Fourteen during Hogwarts and he's lost count since graduation," Draco recalled.

Samira gasped and laughed. "Did you two ever date the same girl?"

"Actually, yes. Blaise dated Carmella Cartwright in our fifth year and then I dated her after we graduated. If you're going to be dating the girls from the school you went to, you don't really have plenty of options," Draco mentioned.

"Were any of them serious?" Samira asked curiously.

Draco thought for a moment. "I don't think so. The two at school were definitely not serious and then the three after were mostly girls my mum set me up with," he said. "And you?"

Samira stayed quiet for a moment. "My first boyfriend, Jean Luc, the one my mother and grandmother scared away, he wasn't very serious. My second boyfriend, Sebastien, um, we were pretty serious. I started dating him at Beauxbatons and even after we graduated."

"How serious were you with Sebastien?" Draco asked, caressing her cheek with his thumb.

"We lived together for awhile," she said uncomfortably.

"I take it that the break-up was shitty?" he asked.

Samira nodded. "The shittiest."

"Well, no offense, but he was an idiot for letting you get away. But his loss is my gain so I'm not really complaining," he replied.

Samira smiled and sat up, leaving Draco's lap and cuddling into his side. "Why are you so good to me?"

He laughed as he kissed the top of her hair, which was mussed from his fingers. "Because you're the best thing to ever happen to me, Sami."

Samira withheld a gushy sigh and cuddled even closer to his body heat. Her eyelids started to droop as Draco rubbed her back and leaned his head on hers.

* * *

Samira awoke with a slight ache in her neck. She hugged her pillow tighter, but after a few seconds of consciousness, she realized her pillow had arms and was harder than usual. She opened her eyes to find Draco sleeping beside her on the couch in his living room.

She rubbed her eyes free from sleep debris and tried to wriggle out of Draco's grasp, but he tightened his hold on her involuntarily. She grinned at his unconscious protectiveness and rested her head on his shoulder.

The clock on the wall read that it was almost noon. Samira and Draco had spent all night talking and she must have fallen asleep. She turned her head to look at him, something that lines of girls would probably pay to do.

As he slept, his face lay beneath a mask of serenity and peace. His eyebrow wasn't raised in its usual sarcastic manner and his lips weren't contorted into a smirk or a smug grin.

Her eyes raked over his Patrician features, the features of European royalty… ancient Roman statues thrived to achieve the look that Draco had been born with. His bright blond hair was riddled with bed-head… or couch-head in that instant. He kept it cut short, but long enough that a girl could run her fingers through it if she chose to.

His eyes twitched in the typical stage of rapid eye movement that meant he was returning to the world of the living. His eyelids fluttered open and he turned his head to find Samira watching him.

"You're still here," he said in that gravelly morning voice, sending desirous tremors up her spine.

"I tried to get up, but you wouldn't let go," she smiled. "Good morning, by the way."

"Morning," he mumbled as he closed his eyes again.

"I'm guessing you're not a morning person," she whispered.

He shook his head, his eyes still closed. "Don't tell me you're a morning person."

Samira laughed quietly. "I'm not a morning person, but it's noon… so I think my body knows that it's the afternoon."

He smiled and opened his eyes again. "Shit, we have dinner at your parent's house tonight, don't we?"

"Unfortunately," Samira sighed.

"It's going to be at six o' clock?" Draco asked, helping Samira up and stretching out his neck and back.

"Yep. Which means I should get home and shower and dressed and I'll be back here at five-thirty," Samira said hurriedly.

Draco smiled at her rambling tendency. "Are you nervous, Sami?"

She bit her lower lip as she pulled her hair into a hair-tie, since it was still mussed from the night before. "Draco, my family is… different. They're loud, outspoken, honest. If they have an opinion, you sure as hell will know it. My mother and grandmother are seriously not a force to be reckoned with and my father will question you until he knows everything he wants to know about you."

Draco laughed and brought Samira into his arms. "They seem fun. I love them already."

Samira groaned into his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I can only warn you so many times."

"Everything will be fine. Now let me just change clothes and I'll walk you back to your place," he said.

* * *

Draco was just buttoning his final button on his dark green dress shirt (his favorite) when he heard the knock at the door. He wiped his khakis free of any dust and left his bedroom to answer the door.

Samira stood on the other side looking nervous and wearing a dark green summer dress that hugged her body and flowed towards her knees in ruffled waves.

"Look at that, we match!" Samira grinned when he opened the door.

Draco swallowed the lump in his throat and blinked before realizing that she had said something. Her smooth caramel skin had distracted him. She always looked so beautiful, but she just radiated sensuality at that moment. The Slytherin color of her dress wasn't bad either.

"You always seem to amaze me with how handsome you can be," Samira laughed.

Draco reached out and held her face in his hands before crushing his lips to hers. A month of pent-up sexual frustration in her presence was making itself known using his mouth. Tongues, lips and breath mingled together as Samira wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her fingers into his hair, returning the kiss with fervor.

He pulled back, breathing heavily, matching Samira's breath tempo. She licked her lips and looked up at him with dilated pupils and wide eyes. Her irises were so dark, so mysterious, so uninhibited at that moment.

Her hand cupped his cheek and she brought her lips to his again, kissing him softly, more tenderly than the previous kiss. She rubbed her body against his, clearly in charge this time. Not that he had a problem with it.

She pulled away with reluctance and ran her index finger across his lips, outlining them with her nail. He looked into her eyes and saw the most passionate and raw desire he had ever seen.

"Are you trying to make us late?" she asked with one of her sculpted eyebrows raised.

"I wasn't doing anything," Draco smirked. "I just kissed you hello."

"That was not a kiss hello. That was a kiss 'let's go ravish each other until we can't walk,'" Samira replied with a husky laugh. Her libido still hadn't settled.

"You're just so gorgeous, Sam," he whispered as he kissed her cheek.

Samira turned his head with her fingers and kissed his lips. "This isn't over," she whispered against his lips. "Now let's focus on the mortification of meeting my family and when _that's_ over, we can pick up where we left off."

Draco's eyes slightly widened. He smiled against her lips and kissed her one last time before grabbing his cloak and wand and leaving his flat with the girl he was sure was gradually stealing his heart.


	7. A Fantabulous Night to Make Romance

Disclaimer: still don't own HP related things.

A/N: the chapter title comes from the song, "Moondance" by Michael Buble

IMPORTANT!: I've posted pics of Draco and Blaise in my profile! They're under the 'Don't Embrace the Past' heading. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 7: A Fantabulous Night to Make Romance**

Samira hesitated before knocking on the large oak door of her parents' house in the suburban area of Reading, where she had grown up.

She turned to look at Draco, who was watching her with a smile. His presence was enough to calm her nerves and bring about a surge of confidence.

Two seconds passed after her first knock before the door opened and a cloud of dust attacked them. Coughing slightly, Samira waved away the dust, hearing Draco cough on her side.

"He passed," a heavily accented voice said from the door.

"Teta, at least wait until we're in the house," Samira coughed.

"It has to be before they cross the threshold," the voice replied.

Once the dust settled, Draco opened his eyes to see a short, severe-looking, elderly woman standing in the doorway, watching him closely. She looked the epitome of old gypsy witch.

"He's a cute one," she told Samira, not bothering to lower her voice.

Samira felt her cheeks warm. "Teta, this is Draco Malfoy. Draco, this is my grandmother, Fatima, but everyone calls her Teta."

"Nice to meet you," Draco stuck out his hand.

Teta ignored his hand and grabbed his face, planting a kiss on both of his cheeks.

Samira gave him a small smile. He couldn't say she didn't warn him.

"So, you said he passed the _sharajah_, Teta?" Samira asked.

"_Oui_, he passed," Teta answered. "Unlike that _connard_ you bring last time."

"Teta!" Samira laughed. "Jean Luc was not a jerk. He seemed very nice at the time."

Teta muttered a few curse words in a mixture of languages as she led them inside the house.

Draco looked at the quaint home, which seemed warm and inviting, unlike the Manor. Pictures of various people and random paintings adorned the walls. The house smelled like rich, flavorful cooking, and just felt like a welcoming place in general.

"Teta speaks five languages," Samira explained as they walked down the long hallway. "French, Arabic, Spanish, English, and Italian. Half the time, we have no idea what she's saying, but usually she sticks to French and Arabic, her two native tongues."

"Why does everyone call her Teta?" Draco asked.

"It means grandmother in Arabic," Samira told him. "She seems small and fragile, but I definitely wouldn't take her on in a fight."

"I heard that, Samira, _habibti_," Teta laughed in front of them. "I'd kick the _merde_ out of anyone who tried to pick a fight with me."

Samira rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Samira!" another female voice called out when they reached the living room.

Draco watched as an older version of Samira embraced her daughter in a choking hug. "_Habibti! ma chérie!"_

"Hi, mama," Samira said. "You just saw me two weeks ago. You act as if you haven't seen me in ages."

"I know,_ bébé_, but two weeks is much too long for me," her mother said. She turned to see Draco and immediately sobered from sappy mother figure into a kind, stable woman.

"You must be Draco," she said with a beautiful smile. If it was true what they said about girls looking like their mums when they got older, well, Draco was one lucky son of a...

"Draco, this is my mother, Sofie Dunvale," Samira introduced.

"Nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Dunvale," Draco extended his hand.

And once again, his hand was ignored when Sofie grabbed his face to kiss his cheeks.

"Put your hand away, Draco. We are not strangers here. Practically family!" Sofie exclaimed. "Please, sit down while I go get Bobby-pin."

Samira must have sensed his confusion. "Bobby-pin is what she calls my father. Robert turns to Bobby which turns to Bobby-pin. I really did try to warn you, Draco."

He laughed as they sat down on the couch together. The living room was decorated with mosaics and oriental ornaments.

Teta sat across from them in an overstuffed recliner and pulled out her knitting. She watched them as she knitted, smirking pleasantly to herself.

"So, Teta, how was the tour of Hungary?" Samira asked.

"Bah! Their Romani communities are having so much trouble getting organized! Your mama and I tried to get them to work together, but they are so much wanting to stay connected to the past. I spit on them and their stubborn ways," Teta said expressively.

"Does Hungary have a large Gypsy population?" Draco asked.

"It is fairly large," Teta said. "Much bigger than the one in _El-Maghrib_."

"Morocco," Samira clarified.

Draco nodded and looked to his left at the side table where a picture frame showed a very young Samira and young Michael making faces for the camera. He smiled warmly at the picture, noticing how carefree the young Samira looked in the picture.

He looked up and found Teta smiling at him, her misty eyes focused on him intently. She could probably read his mind and so he made sure to remind himself not to think of any carnal thoughts about her granddaughter. It would be a challenge… but he could control himself.

"AUNTIE THAM AND RACO!!" a shrill voice screamed from the doorway of the living room.

A mass of red velvet attacked Draco, climbing up onto his lap.

"I mithed you, Raco!" Melania screamed as she hugged Draco around the neck.

An emotion Draco didn't think he had welled up inside of him. "I missed you, too, squirt. Goodness, you look gorgeous in that pretty red dress."

Melania smiled widely. Her head sported a ponytail that rested on the top of her head; a few rebel curls escaping it. "Thith is my dreth that mummy buyed for me!"

"Doesn't Auntie Sam get a kiss?" Samira asked with an exaggerated frown.

"Yeth!" Melania said excitedly, before scrambling off of Draco's lap and onto Samira's. "You are pretty today, Auntie Tham."

"Oh, Melly, that's sweet. But I don't look as pretty as you do," Samira said as she kissed her niece all over.

"Sam-bam-thank you ma'am!" Michael called from the door. "I wondered where Mel ran off to. The minute we walked through the front door, she had a dog-like response to knowing that the two of you were here."

More introductions were made as Draco met Michael's wife, Rosa, who resembled her daughter in a lot of ways. She and Michael seemed perfect together, just giving off the appearance of 'satisfied couple.'

"It's so wonderful to finally meet you in person," Rosa told Draco after she greeted Teta and sat down beside her. "Samira has told us so much about you."

"All good, I hope," he joked as Melania sat in his lap and talked to herself.

"Anyone who Melania likes is all good with me," Rosa said. "All Melania and Samira talk about is Raco and Draco and Raco this and Draco that."

Samira squirmed next to him, clearly embarrassed. "Thanks, Rosa. That's not humiliating. Not at all."

Samira's parents walked in and greeted their son, his wife and Melania, who refused to leave Draco's lap. She kept asking him random questions as everyone settled.

"Why do you have not brown hair?"

"You and Auntie Tham are wearing the thame color. Why?"

"Do you want to thee my Elmo?"

"Why don't you have an Elmo?"

Finally, Sofie picked her granddaughter up to relieve Draco from the toddler's interview.

"_Habibti_, why don't you let Draco and the adults talk, ok?" Sofie said. "I will put Elmo on the TV for you in the sitting room."

Draco watched them walk out and turned back to the conversation between Samira and Michael.

"I just don't understand why you insist on living alone, Sami. It's really dangerous out there and mama and dad worry about you," Michael explained.

"I live in a very safe neighborhood, Michael," Samira sighed. "And I have my wand with me at all times."

"Your sister knows what's best for her, Mike," Robert said. "She's a very strong-willed girl and I think if she and Draco are serious, maybe she won't be living alone for long."

"Oh, God…" Samira groaned.

She mouthed 'sorry' to Draco who had an amused smile on his face.

"Live together?" Teta said from her recliner. "They haven't even slept together."

Stunned silence met Teta's announcement.

"Teta, that's not appropriate," Michael said, barely concealing a laugh. "It's none of our business what Samira and Draco do… or don't do."

Draco quirked an eyebrow. "You told your grandmother we haven't slept together?" he asked Samira.

Samira rubbed her temples and shook her head.

"She didn't have to tell me!" Teta said. "I could tell by your _essence de la vie._"

"Life essence," Samira muttered.

"Only a handful of gypsies can read life essences," Michael said, his grin prominent now. "Teta is one of them. She knew Rosa was pregnant before Rosa knew."

"So, Rosa, how is work at the Ministry?" Samira asked. Pretending the previous conversation didn't exist seemed like a good idea.

"Very good, actually. I just hired a new assistant. She seems nice, a bit arrogant, but she's competent and that's all that really matters," Rosa said.

"What do you do?" Draco asked.

"I work in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. I mostly just act as an ambassador for the British Ministry and I do a lot of humanitarian type things to keep their persona steady."

"I don't understand why you don't stay at home and take care of my great-granddaughter," Teta muttered.

"I only work part-time, Teta," Rosa said, putting her hand on the older woman's hand. "Melly is in nursery school while I'm at work and by noon, we're always at home, just in time to watch Elmo," Rosa said.

Teta finished her knitting and then stared at Samira, studying her intently. Samira squirmed slightly and then turned to her father.

"Dad, did you know that Draco went to Hogwarts?"

Robert's eyebrows went up. "Really? I was a Hogwarts man, myself. What house?"

"Slytherin," Draco said. He wouldn't be surprised if they kicked him out of the house. He knew his house wasn't the most popular, who was he kidding… it was the evil house.

"I had some good times in the Slytherin common room," Robert said with a laugh. "I was a Ravenclaw myself, but my closest friends were Slytherins and they did have the wildest parties. Slughorn never cared what they did, so they went all out."

"We didn't have many parties while I attended," Draco mused, thinking back. "But the war was starting to build up and then there were so many little things that just didn't leave us much time to let loose."

"It was a nasty war," Rosa said quietly.

Draco remembered that she was a muggleborn. In all reality, he just didn't care anymore about any of that nonsense. There were more important things in life.

"Boldebart went about it all wrong," Teta said from her seat, her eyes burning with emotion. "Who cares about the muggleborns? If someone has magic in their blood, any at all, they shouldn't be persecuted. It's the muggles that they should have gone after."

"Teta," Samira warned. "Rosa's parents are muggles."

"I don't care. Muggles have been singling out and killing Gypsies for centuries! Why? Because we are powerful and we are different from them. I spit on muggles!"

Rosa smiled softly. Draco noticed she wasn't upset that Teta was personally incensed towards her background.

"It is awful what muggles have been doing to the Romani people. Magic is feared all over the world and I personally am ashamed that I come from a culture of people that would do such a thing. Teta has every right to be chagrined," Rosa said calmly.

Teta smiled at the younger woman and kissed her cheek. "See? Rosa, _mon coeur_, understands better than anyone. Now, let's eat."

Draco smiled at the rapid succession of topic change. Samira's family was loud and boisterous and opinionated. And he loved it.

* * *

After dinner, the men insisted on taking Draco out to the yard and showing him the things that men usually looked at, like power tools or dead animals… or whatever items that seemed to raise their testosterone levels.

Samira helped her mother and Rosa do the dishes in the kitchen. Teta sat at the table with Melania, who was rubbing her eyes in exhaustion.

"Where's Raco?" Melania asked.

"He's with daddy and gramps," Rosa answered. "She's getting more attached to him than you are, Sam," she joked.

Samira smiled and focused on drying the dishes her mother handed her. Magic would have them finished in an instant, but doing it manually was a way to talk and enforce the wonderful stereotype of females in the kitchen.

"Do you love him?" Sofie asked quietly.

Samira almost dropped the glass cup she was holding, not expecting that question. "Um, I've only known him a month."

"Ha! What a horrible way to answer," Teta laughed. "There is no point in lying, _habibti_, I read your _essence de la vie_."

"I care a lot about Draco," Samira said. "What do you all think about him?"

"He's wonderful, Sami," Sofie gushed. "He looks at you with such admiration and he's so polite and he's great with Melania. I think he just might be the one."

Samira bit back a frown and forced a smile. "I'm glad you like him."

"I'd like to speak to Samira alone," Teta said at the table, her foggy gaze directed at her granddaughter.

Sofie and Rosa took Melania and left the kitchen, nothing really striking them as unusual, since the dishes were done and Teta always wanted to talk to people in private.

Samira sighed and sat down in the chair next to her grandmother. "Do you not like Draco, Teta?"

"Why haven't you told anyone about what happened with that _putain_?" Teta asked, not one to skirt around a subject.

Samira knew Teta was talking about Sebastien. About what he did.

"Rosa and Michael know, because I went to their place after it happened. They're the ones who took me to the hospital," Samira said, her chest feeling tight with emotion. "How did you know? My life essence?"

"_Oui._ That sorry excuse for a human left you broken, Samira. He took away your _esprit_."

"I still have my spirit," Samira said weakly. "Teta, I don't know what to do."

Teta pulled her granddaughter into a hug, stroking her hair like she did when Samira was a little girl. "_Habibti_, you must forgive yourself for what happened. Even though none of it was your fault, I can see that you blame yourself. Before you can get over this, you must stop blaming yourself."

"I don't want to hurt Draco, teta. I c-care too much about him," Samira said, tears gathering in her eyes. "He's the sweetest, kindest, most wonderful man and he treats me with so much respect and so much tenderness, I just feel so unworthy."

"That is _dérisoire_!" Teta admonished. "Absurd! You are worthy of any man, Samira. That _baiseur_, Sebastien, did not deserve you!"

Samira sat back and wiped at her eyes, wanting to get rid of any evidence that she had been crying.

"Does Draco know you cannot have children?" Teta asked softly.

Samira shrugged. "He doesn't know that I _can't_ but I said that I wasn't planning on having kids."

"Does he know about Sebastien? About what Sebastien did to you?"

Samira shook her head violently. "No. I… I can't tell him."

"You must," Teta said.

"I'm so ashamed, Teta," Samira said in a whisper.

Teta nodded slowly. "Ok, Sami, it's ok. I know you need to think about this long and hard before you make any decisions, but Draco will understand. He comes from a background of insecurity, with which he covered with arrogance. His life essence was very easy to read."

Samira rubbed at her arms glancing out the window where she caught a glimpse of Draco, her father and brother. "I just need to think about it all," she said more to herself than anyone else. "Please don't tell my parents about what happened. They just think I broke up with Sebastien. They don't know about the fight or the hospital… or my infertility."

Teta nodded. "I'll leave that to you, Samira. But you know you must tell them as well. They love you and will support you in anything, just like I will."

Samira hugged her grandmother tight and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, Teta. For everything."

"_Je t'aime_, Sami," Teta said tenderly. "Now, go to your man and tell him how much you care about him."

With a small smile, Samira left the kitchen to follow Teta's advice.

* * *

"So, we fixed up the roof about a year ago and then did the siding along with it," Robert explained to Draco and his son.

"It looks professional," Draco mentioned. "I wouldn't believe you did it yourself without magic."

"It's a stress reliever," Robert said. "Working on the house was always a good way to let the stresses of work leak out."

"I usually go running when I'm stressed or have a lot of anxious energy," Draco said. "I'm not very handy, hell, I'm not handy at all without my wand, but running doesn't require any thought or talent, so it's great."

"Same," Michael said. "Right around the time Melania was born and she had colic, I would go running when we would finally get her to stop crying. Rosa thought I was running away at times, which is pretty accurate."

"Melania really seems to like you, Draco," Robert said. "Do you have much experience with children?"

"To tell you the truth, not really. I was an only child and I don't really come into contact with many children in my line of work," Draco said. "Melania is a really fun kid. Loud, but fun."

"Tell me about it," Michael laughed. "She has a set of lungs on her that rival a screeching banshee."

"Now, that's not very nice, Mikey," Samira said from behind them. "How would Rosa feel knowing you're comparing her baby girl to a banshee?"

"She would be fine seeing as how she came up with the analogy," Michael smiled, putting his arm around his sister. "What are you doing out here? Did you miss me terribly?"

"Yep, I just couldn't last without your snide humor and annoying comments," Samira teased. "What are you boring Draco with out here?"

"Oh, you know, talking about construction and Quidditch and muscles and uh, body hair and other things purely male," Michael said.

Samira shoved him playfully and shook her head at him. "If it's ok with you, I'd like to steal Draco for a few minutes."

At Michael's wolf-whistle and her father's laugh, Samira rolled her eyes and grabbed Draco's hand to walk back into the house. He wrapped his arm around her waist and planted a kiss on her temple. "I'm having a lot of fun, Sam."

She smiled at him and tried not to do something girlish, like cry, which she wanted to do. She kissed his cheek and thanked him. "I know they're a bit eccentric, but knowing that they haven't chased you out of the house yet means so much."

"What did you want to see me about?"

"Melania is getting really sleepy, but she refuses to go to sleep until you say goodnight to her," Samira said.

Draco smiled and allowed Samira to lead him back into the house, followed by Michael and Robert.

"Raco!" Melania brightened when he entered the room. "Ith time for thleeping! Goo'night!"

Her knob-kneed walk to him was borderline adorable and when Draco picked her up, she yawned and blinked at him before giving him a sloppy, wet kiss on the cheek. The best toddler-kiss a guy could ask for.

"Come on, munchkin, we don't want to make Auntie Sam jealous," Michael joked, taking his droopy eyed daughter from Draco. "Thanks for dinner, mum. We're going to head home and get her to bed."

Everyone said their goodnights and somehow, Samira was able to persuade her parents into her and Draco leaving, which was no easy feat, seeing as how they hadn't even served him coffee, Moroccan style.

Samira decided to apparate to the park near her flat and walk, as Samira claimed, to burn off the bajillion calories that her mother's cooking inflicted upon them.

A light breeze nipped at their skin as they walked through the park, causing Samira to shiver and rub her arms to generate warmth. Draco put an arm around her and pulled her close to his body heat, creating more warmth than she could have ever conjured up herself.

"What was that word that your mother and grandmother kept calling you?" Draco asked.

"_Habibti_?" she asked.

"Yeah, that one. Before we left, Teta called me _habibi_. Is that the same?"

Samira nodded. "_Habibi_ means 'my love' when spoken to a male. Then you add the 't' sound to the end when you address a female. I could have sworn I've called you that before," Samira mused.

"I think you have once or twice, but I probably just ignored it, thinking I'd misheard you," Draco laughed.

"That's sweet," Samira joked.

"So, I'm your love?" Draco asked with a sly grin.

Samira smiled at him but didn't say anything. Draco was not going to push his luck. They'd only gone out a month… there was no, no, no way she was in love with him.

"It's getting cold," Samira shivered, despite Draco's arms around her. "Come to my place and I can make you some hot cocoa."

Draco could think of other ways they could heat up. They involved no hot cocoa, but a lot of nakedness.

He followed her through the park, the moon acting as their only light source. As he walked beside her, he kissed her neck and cheek, enjoying the smell of her: verbena and jasmine. She sighed into his embrace, inwardly thankful that the park was deserted.

Somehow, they made it to her flat in between stolen kisses against the walls of her building and in the lift, with much groping on Draco's part. Their one-month abstinence seemed to be meeting its end.

"You looked so gorgeous tonight, Sam," Draco whispered against her lips as they lay on her couch in a very comprising, but clothed, position. He lay between her legs, nestled very comfortably against her body, his lips hovering over hers.

"Thank you, _habibi_," she responded huskily. "You always look like a hot-stud, so my complimenting you could get pretty old."

He laughed and the vibrations between them upped the sexual atmosphere by at least three hundred percent. Samira's breath grew quicker as she felt Draco's evident attraction to her through the thickness of his khakis and the thinness of her dress.

"Thank you for being so patient with me, Draco," Samira said softly, bringing her fingers to his hair and brushing it away from his eyes. "I… I… I'm sorry."

Draco's eyebrow lifted slightly. "Why are you sorry? For making me wait? Hell, Sami, I'm a big boy and I can be patient."

Samira shook her head. "I'm sorry for… God, this is hard."

"What's wrong, Samira?" Draco asked, taking her hand in his and lacing his fingers through hers. "Tell me."

He could see tears glistening in her eyes. Why? He had no friggin' clue.

"I didn't mean for this to go so far," she finally said. "I thought it would be like a one-date or a two-date deal and then that would be it… but now, I'm just so in over my head."

"Are we going too fast?" Draco asked warily. "I'll slow down, Sam. I swear; I don't want you to feel pressured at all."

The corner of her lip came up in a half-smile. "No, it's not that. In ideal circumstances, we were going too slowly."

"Ok, I'm confused now," Draco smiled back.

"I can't seem to get enough of you," she told him and brought his face to hers, kissing him so deep that he forgot his name.

She pulled back and lay panting beneath him… an act so erotic he had to count to ten so as to not take her right then and there.

"I don't deserve you," she said quietly. "I… you deserve so much more, Draco. I can't offer you everything that you could possibly want. You deserve so much better."

Draco's brows furrowed this time. "Now, wait a second. You think you're not good enough for me?"

Samira stayed silent, holding his gaze in silent assent.

"That's complete shit, Samira. You're more than I could ever want and ever need. I know there are things that we haven't told each other and there are things in your past that you aren't ready to tell me and some things in mine that I'd rather wish I didn't even know about… but we have plenty of time for all those things."

She kissed him again, her body taking over her conscience. She knew she shouldn't be going this far… that she should do the noble thing and stop what they were about to do. But her body was not complying. If her body were a separate entity, it would have rolled its eyes at her and shook its head in defiance.

Unspoken awareness traveled between them. They weren't going to stop this time. Tonight, it was just about his body, her body and the intense sensuality they provided each other.

His lips sought hers, hard, unyielding and needy.

Samira brought her hands to his chest and nudged him slightly. At first, Draco thought she was pushing him away, but he soon found out she wanted to move off the couch and into her bed.

He followed her dazedly as she led him to her bedroom. It smelled just like her: fresh, clean, and wonderfully earthy.

She bent down to pull off her high heels and gave Draco a wonderful view. He toed off his own shoes, lust hazing his eyes and mind.

Her shoes were off, his shoes were off… and then her lips were on his. She kissed him with a voracious yearning. Her roaming hands, inching towards the buttons of his shirt made his internal moan audible.

He busied his hands with the lace ties in the back of her dress. _How on earth had she tied the blasted things? _None of that mattered though as Samira arched into his body, pressing her soft chest to his hard one. She pulled back from his lips and he stared into her heavy-lidded gaze, one filled with so much passion and desire, he had to pull her back to him or he would have fallen.

"I've wanted you since the first time I kissed those lips outside your door," he whispered in a tone laced with blinding arousal.

"Ditto, big boy," she smirked against his lips, cupping his erection in her hand.

He whimpered, er, in a very manly way, at her hand-to-manhood grope. "You keep that up and I won't be able to last, _habibti_."

She smiled at the use of the endearment he used. "We can't have that, now, can we?" she said wantonly, licking her lips in apprehension and trailing her fingers to the button of his khakis.

He stopped her with his own smirk and walked her backwards towards the bed. She laughed breathily as he pushed her to laying position. He pulled the dress off of her, finally, and stood perusing her body with unadulterated approval.

Her bronze skin tone shined with her natural beauty. Her breasts looked good enough to eat, round and just the right size: able to fit in his hands. His eyes trailed lower to the black panties she wore.

His gaze stopped though, right above the hem of her underwear where two, straight scars rested. The scars lay above her pubic bone and when she caught where his attention lay, she squirmed on the bed.

"What happened?" he asked curiously.

Samira blinked for several second. "J-just roughhousing from when I was younger. Nothing serious."

He nodded, but something deep inside him told him that she wasn't being honest. He hated to think of her as lying to him, but maybe she was ashamed at whatever had caused those scars. He didn't know, but the dying flames in her eyes caused him to spur into action.

"You're so beautiful, Sami," he said quietly.

She smiled at him and summoned him with a finger. "It's not fair that I'm half naked and you have got all of your clothes on."

As he reached to unbutton the rest of his shirt, Samira's nimble fingers stopped him and took over the job. She gave him fleeting kisses with every button she unbuttoned.

In a stumble of random sequence, his shirt was finally gone and Samira was kissing his smooth chest with lips so hot he groaned with the fire she left in her path. The little Siren that she was managed to rid him of his pants and her hand had found his throbbing length.

"I meant it, Sam… I will not last," he groaned into her mouth.

She released him with a wily grin, a seductive gleam in her eye.

"You make me forget how modest and shy I am, _habibi_," she whispered in his ear.

He grinned back at her. "Fantastic, now lie on the bed so I can ogle you some more."

She laughed at him and did as was told.

His eyes swept over her body, arousing her to the fullest extent and making her want… _need_ him more than ever. Again, she crooked her finger at him and lured him to her on the bed.

He smiled at her and knelt before her on the bed, his hard body flush against hers. He kissed her neck softly, smelling her sweet scent and tasting her. She ran her hands down his back slowly, bringing him closer to her body.

His lips found a path down to her chest and then down to her stomach. He kissed the two scars and brought his lips back to hers as she urged. He couldn't wait any longer. He needed to be inside of her. Her face was flushed and her eyes darker than he'd ever seen them before. Stripping her of the black panties and with one last kiss, he pushed into her and almost lost his mind.

She matched him move for move, thrust for thrust, kiss for kiss. Her little mewls of pleasure and sighs drove him over the edge. He snaked his hand down between them, using his hand to find her most sensitive spot.

She writhed in blissful agony, groaning his name as she came apart in his arms. He followed soon after her, finding pure ecstasy as he pushed into her one final time.

Panting for sweet breath as they came down from their sexual high, Draco slowly eased off of her to prevent crushing her with his weight. Her cheeks hinted the boldest red and her eyes shimmered with pure adoration.

She brought her lips to his as he settled next to her and brought her to his side. She kissed him deeply, thoroughly, entirely.

Was it possible to fall in love with someone after only a month…?


	8. Possibly, Maybe I'm Falling for You

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Harry Potter

A/N: Sorry for the long wait! I really am!! The chapter title comes from the song, "Coffee Shop" by Landon Pigg

* * *

**Chapter 8: Possibly, Maybe I'm Falling for You**

Samira awoke once more to something other than the pillow she usually hugged to sleep. Draco's body was a much more pleasant sleeping partner than the cotton-fluff she had purchased on clearance.

Her muscles ached from the rigorous workout she had exerted on them. After their sweet coupling, they had taken a short nap and awoke to a marathon of lovemaking. She had never been brought to climax so many times before. Draco was a sex wizard.

She felt her lips curl in a sleepy, sated smile at the thought and realized that the man of her musings was currently awake and kissing her exposed shoulder as she lay facing away from him.

She turned her head to face him and he smiled down at her.

"You're cute in the morning," he said gruffly, before swiftly kissing her lips and getting out of the bed.

"Where are you going?" Samira asked hesitantly.

"I've got to piss like no other," he said as his tight butt disappeared from her view.

Samira laughed into her pillow and reached over to the bedside table to grab her wand. She placed a mouth-cleansing charm on her teeth, tongue and lips. Sometimes a girl was a little too lazy to walk all the way to the bathroom and brush.

Her bones felt liquefied after her monumental night in Draco's arms. She wondered if he felt the same way.

Draco stood in the doorway to the bathroom brushing his teeth, too bad his boxers were back on.

"Is that my toothbrush?" Samira asked.

Draco shook his head and walked back into the bathroom. He came back out a minute later. "I transfigured the empty tissue box into a toothbrush. I'm a genius, right?"

"Brilliant, _habibi_, absolutely brilliant," Samira cooed.

Draco laughed and fell back into the bed next to her, bringing her into his arms. He pressed his lips to hers and kissed her deep. "Ah, minty," he sighed.

It was Samira's turn to laugh. "You always taste good, Draco."

"You're a wonderful asset to my ego, Sami," he whispered, taking her earlobe between his teeth.

Samira moaned softly as Draco's warm hands slipped under the sheet and across her body. The man was insatiable… and he was all hers.

She turned in his arms and captured his lips with hers, exploring his mouth slowly and strongly. He was all she would ever need. She never wanted to kiss another mouth.

Strangely, the thought didn't scare her as much as it should have. The last time she had given her heart it had been trampled on, chewed up and spit out. Would it be the same this time?

Their kissing led to even more shagging and lying many minutes later in bed, breathing heavily, Draco turned to Samira and stroked her hair out of her eyes, looking deep into them.

"Move in with me," he blurted out.

Samira stared at him with wide eyes. "W-what?"

Draco shook his head. "That's an example of my mouth working before my brain," he groaned.

She remained speechless. "You want me to live with you?"

Draco sighed and rested his head against her covered chest. "I like waking up next to you, Sam, I like going to bed with you… I like having you around."

Samira smiled softly.

"Look, you don't have to answer right away, but the offer stands," he said.

She reached out her hand to move the stray strands of blond from his face. "This is a big decision," she said quietly.

"I know, so if you want, just forget I asked," he explained. "I don't want you to say yes in order to not hurt my feelings. I can handle rejection."

"No, you can't. Nobody can. It's the worst feeling," Samira said understandingly. "Can I think about it?"

Draco nodded. "Take all the time you need."

He couldn't help it; it did hurt a tiny bit that she hadn't accepted immediately. But he wasn't going to dwell on it. Too bad Samira noticed.

"Oh, Draco… don't get upset. I just don't want to make any mistakes when it comes to you. I've… I can't seem to trust myself when it comes to these life-changing decisions," she murmured.

He picked up her hand and kissed the palm. "I'm not upset, Sam."

"Isn't a month too soon?" Samira asked cautiously.

Draco sighed and got out of the bed.

"Draco, wait. Please, I don't want you mad at me," Samira pleaded. "I'm just scared."

Draco turned to look at her as he put his shirt on. "Scared of what?"

"Of messing up. What if you come to hate me?" she asked. Slight trepidation and fear shone brightly in her eyes.

Draco sat down on the edge of the bed and held her chin in his hand. "Samira, I don't think I could ever hate you. There is nothing you could do that would make me even think of hating you. I'm not mad at you, I promise. Think about what I offered you and give me an answer when you're ready. Come on, get dressed and let's go get breakfast."

Samira nodded slowly and sat up before he had a chance to get up. She brought his face to her lips and kissed him softly.

"I want to be a stronger person, Draco. I hate feeling weak and I hate feeling vulnerable. You help me feel stronger and I… I want to move in with you," she said against his lips.

She felt his smile against her lips and she gasped when he picked her up and kissed her deeply. Before they knew it, they ended up back in her bed, sweaty, naked and pleasured.

* * *

"I asked Samira to move in with me," Draco told his parents at lunch the next day.

Lucius and Narcissa smiled secretly at each other. "She said yes?" Lucius asked.

Draco nodded.

"Well, I'm happy for you, my love. That's wonderful news," Narcissa said. "Although, this living-in-sin business…"

"Mum, really. I'm not ready to get married and neither is Sami. We're taking this one step at a time and rushing into things would just be disastrous," Draco said.

"Your father and I were married after only one month of dating," Narcissa said. "There's nothing wrong with knowing what you want and going after it."

"I'm not you," Draco replied. "Don't think you can pressure me into marrying her now that we're moving in together. I mean it, mum. I think I'm finally making some progress in getting her to trust me and open up about some of those skeletons in her closet."

"Did you ever find out what upset her so much when she was over here for dinner?" Lucius asked.

Draco shook his head. "We haven't brought it up and I don't feel like asking her now. I think once she's moved in I'll probably be able to get her to speak about it."

"Well, as I said before, dear, I'm really happy that you're happy. I wish you the best of luck," Narcissa said, patting his hand.

Luck… as if he'd need it.

A week later Samira had finally and successfully installed her television in Draco's living room. She looked around at the penthouse and smiled softly. She had officially moved in as of nine o' clock that morning and she could not remember ever feeling so happy.

* * *

Strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind as she stood watching the busy London street from the living room window. Samira leaned her head against Draco's chest and gave a tired sigh. "I'm absolutely beat."

"You've haven't stopped moving for six whole days. I got tired just watching you," he murmured in her ear.

"Oh, poor baby," she pouted playfully. "Would you like a massage to relieve all that fatigue?"

He laughed against her neck. "A massage sounds nice… but that would lead to me shagging your brains out and you're too tired for that."

"How selfless you are, _habibi_," she chuckled. "But, you're right; we have guests coming any minute now. It is no time to start shagging."

"Oh, that's right… your parents and Teta are coming over," Draco remembered. "I actually miss the old lady."

Samira laughed. "Don't forget, your parents, too."

"My parents, too what?" he asked.

"They owled us this morning saying they were coming for a visit. I left the letter on top of the Daily Prophet for you to read," she answered. "I'm guessing you missed the note."

"Hell yeah, I missed the note. Shit, they're all going to be here?" he asked with a note of panic in his voice.

Samira cupped his cheek in her hand as she turned to face him. "Yes, but what are you worried about?"

"Nothing, I just know that this night is going to be anything but normal," Draco laughed.  
"It should make for an interesting evening."

The sound of a knock at the door interrupted what was going to be a smoldering kiss. Dejected, they both went to open the door to find Teta standing there frowning at them.

"Teta!" Samira hugged the old woman and ushered her inside.

Draco bussed Teta on the cheek in greeting. "How are you, Teta?"

She smiled at him slyly. "_Magnifique, mon coeur, _you have been making my Samira very happy, no?"

"I try," he replied.

"Where are mum and dad?" Samira asked, leading Teta into the living room before she had a chance to read their life essences.

"I finish before them, so I come here first. I don't need them to cross the street," Teta replied.

"Of course you don't," Samira reassured her.

"I'm mad at you, Samira," Teta said suddenly. "You too, Draco."

"Mad? Why, what did we do?" Samira asked, looking between Draco and her grandmother.

"You live together and you are not married! It is _haram!_" Teta explained.

"It's not sinful, Teta," Samira replied. "A lot of people these days live together without being married."

"In my day, a man did not live with a woman unless she had a ring on her finger, I spit on your culture," Teta complained.

Draco and Samira shared a covert smile. Thankfully, the doorbell sounded, so they escaped the evil glare directed at them from the mystic old woman muttering under her breath about how strange the Anglo culture was.

They opened the door to an extremely loud squeal and giggles. Melania launched herself at Draco's legs and attempted to climb until he bent down and picked her up. He looked at Samira with a questioning glance.

Samira looked back at him with a shrug. She turned to her brother and sister-in-law. "Not that you're not welcome, but what are you doing here?"

"We heard you would be finished moving in today, so we came to give you a housewarming present," Rosa said, handing over a gift-wrapped box. "Did we come at a bad time?"

"Not at all," Draco said, his face getting covered in wet kisses by Melania. "In fact, Teta's in the living room and our parents will be here soon."

"_Our_ parents? As in plural?" Michael asked with a gleeful smile. "The in-laws will meet?"

"Technically, not in-laws," Samira corrected, kissing Melania on the head. "But yes, they are all going to be here… and now you're here and Teta, of course."

"We're taking bets on who embarrasses us first," Draco smiled. "I've got twenty sickles on my parents."

"Put me down for twenty-five on my parents," Michael said. "And thirty on Teta."

The four of them laughed, along with Melania who had no idea of what they were talking about. Before they had a chance to take any more bets, the doorbell rang once again. Samira led her brother and his family into the living room and Draco opened the door to his parents.

Dressed like the aristocrats they were, they made Draco's casual attire seem hobo-esque. He kissed his mother on the cheek and shook hands with his father.

"Is that a child I hear?" Narcissa asked, her maternal instincts kicking in.

"Melania is here," Draco said and before he knew it, his mother had disappeared from view. Draco looked at his father in exasperation. "Samira's brother, his wife, and her grandmother are here. Her parents are on their way."

Lucius smothered a laugh at his son's behalf. "I'm sure it will be an enlightening evening."

Draco led his father into the living room and introduced everyone. Melania was immediately enthralled by Lucius's cane. She stared at it with wide eyes and her chubby legs carried her closer to the intimidating man until she was at his knees as he sat next to Narcissa.

"Cam I play with your thtick?" she asked.

Michael said something and received a slap from his wife and sister. "She's your daughter," they frowned.

"It was too easy to pass up," he defended himself.

Lucius looked at the adorable child and smiled. "Yes, but you must be very careful, or you could hurt someone with it."

He removed the wand from the top of the cane and handed the rest of it to the toddler.

Melania stared at it in amazement, running her small hands over the engravings all over the fine, dark wood. "There's a thnake on it!" she said excitedly. "Thnakes are yucky!"

Narcissa sat staring at the girl with a huge smile. She looked up at her son. "Oh, Draco, you must…"

"Mum, seriously, not tonight," he said.

Narcissa sighed exaggeratedly but quickly smiled again when the toddler turned to her. "Are you Raco's mama?"

"Yes, darling, I am," she replied.

"Oh," she turned to Lucius. "You are Raco's daddy?"

Lucius nodded.

"I love Raco," Melania said matter-of-factly. "I love you, Raco's mama and Raco's daddy."

Draco groaned when Narcissa dabbed at her eyes and gave him a meaningful stare. He had a feeling she was going to spontaneously combust if he didn't produce a grandchild for her by the end of the night.

"Lucius Malfoy," Teta said quietly from her chair, her hand on her chin.

They all turned to the old woman as she stared at Draco's father.

"Yes?" Lucius answered.

"You visit me once in Morocco," she said. "I remember now."

Lucius bowed his head slightly. "You read my fortune and told me I was to have a baby boy. I remember you as well."

"Small world," Teta smiled. "I also told you that you would lead a broken life, but that you will know the right thing at the end."

Lucius nodded. "I did, thank you."

As Melania started whacking the coffee table with Lucius's cane, the doorbell rang for the final time that night.

Even more introductions were made and after Samira had handed out juice, coffee and tea, everyone was relaxed and talking as if they had known each other for years.

"Now, you would not believe what I encountered when I went to visit the Minister of Magic's home the other week," Rosa started to say. "Now, I usually wouldn't be seen with the likes of that horrible wife of his, but ever since I became the head of my department, I somehow was obligated to befriend the hag."

"She is a horrible woman," Narcissa agreed. "I've never met a more horrid gossip."

"Precisely," Rosa said. "Now, she was giving me a tour of their newly remodeled home and she apparently thought that I would be interested in her master bedroom. Turns out, and I kid you not, she has a stripper pole installed! I nearly cried from sheer embarrassment."

"To tell you the truth, a stripper pole is a very tasteful bedroom addition," Narcissa said with a slight smile.

Draco looked between his parents who were both smiling. "You're kidding. Please tell me you're kidding."

"Your mother is a very talented dancer," Lucius said with his face completely serious.

"Oh, dear God," Draco groaned. Samira patted his hand in comfort.

"You know, Bobby-pin and I were thinking of having one installed," Sofie, Samira's mother, added.

"Mama!" Michael and Samira both exclaimed. "Yuck."

"What?" Sofie turned to her children. She then turned back to the elder Malfoys. "How's it working out for you?"

The younger generation sat speechless as they listened to the horribly mortifying conversation.

"Wonderfully," Narcissa beamed. "Not that we really needed anything to spice up…"

"Ok, stop," Draco said. "I am officially grossed out and this conversation must end."

"Hush, Draco," Narcissa scolded. She turned to Sofie. "You know, I could give you the name of the man who installed our pole. He was very kind and even offered to install a sex bench…"

"I'm not joking. Stop this conversation," Draco sputtered. "I don't want to hear anything related to sex or nakedness or benches or poles."

The older adults smiled innocently at their children.

"Sex is natural," Teta exclaimed from her chair. She had somehow produced a pipe from her large purse and sat smoking it. "Stop being prudes."

"If sex is natural than you should have no problem with Draco and me living together," Samira argued.

"Hmph," Teta grumbled. "You two should get married."

"I agree," Narcissa chimed in.

"There's a surprise," Draco rolled his eyes.

"Well, it's getting pretty late and Melly-butt has a play-date tomorrow," Michael said, saving his sister and Draco from any further embarrassment. "It was nice meeting you," he said to Draco's parents.

They all bid adieu to Michael, Rosa and Melania, who started crying in sleepy crankiness. Once alone with their parents and Teta, Samira and Draco sought to steer the conversation away from anything embarrassing.

"Oh, goodness, Samira, I almost forgot," Sofie started to say. "I ran into Sebastien the other day."

Draco felt Samira stiffen beside him. Surprisingly, she seemed to have a control on her emotions since she relaxed instantly. "You did? I did not know he left France."

"I never liked that boy," Robert Dunvale said. "I'm glad you left him, Sami. Draco is a much better man."

Samira looked at Draco with a smile. "He is."

"Sebastien was a _khara_," Teta said from her chair, puffing slowly on her pipe.

"Yes, he was a shit, Teta," Samira agreed.

Lucius and Narcissa seemed to be confused, so Samira quickly explained.

"Sebastien is my ex. We had a nasty break-up," she said vaguely.

"His loss," Lucius said kindly.

"All you Malfoy men are flatterers," Teta said with a cackle.

Lucius and Draco smiled coyly as Narcissa rolled her eyes.

After much more teasing and idle conversation, the parental units and Teta finally left, leaving Draco and Samira exhausted.

They snuggled into bed a few hours later and as Samira felt her eyelids droop, she heard Draco's voice next to her. "Tell me about Sebastien."

Samira sighed and turned her head away from him. "There's not much to say," she said.

"Did you love him?" he asked quietly.

"I think I loved the idea of him more than I loved him," she replied.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Sebastien was a very popular student at Beauxbatons. All the girls were enamored by him and all the boys wanted to be him. He was wonderful at Quidditch and he was handsome and he was four years older than me. Me, being the idiot teenager I was, completely fell for his charms," Samira said.

Draco could hear Samira's shaky voice. "Listen, babe, you don't have to tell me right now."

Samira nodded and turned to kiss him softly. She cuddled closer into his arms and he soon heard her breathing even out and grow deeper. He kissed her hair and soon followed her into a deep slumber.

* * *

Flames surrounded him as he breathed in the heavy smoke. His eyes watered from the heat and the stinging stench of the dense, fiery fog around him. He could hear the screams coming from a gruff voice… a voice he recognized: Vincent Crabbe.

In an instant he was back at the Malfoy Manor, sitting at the table with the Dark Lord sitting at the head. He swallowed back the bile he felt rise in his throat as he watched the woman hanging over the table, pleading with Severus Snape to help her. He was unable to watch and kept diverting his gaze to anything but the vision of the woman.

But her pleading and screams were harder to ignore. He had never felt more terrified in his entire life.

He saw the flash of green light that ended the woman's life and he saw her body crash to the table. He fell out of his chair and landed on his backside.

He screamed in frustration, in fear… he heard his name.

"Draco…"

"No!" he yelled. He tried to close his eyes but the image of the woman's body being devoured by Nagini was burned into his retinas. He cried out in disgust and again, in fear. He was so scared, so fucking scared! Why was he here?

"Draco, please…"

"I don't want to watch!" he pleaded. "Stop!"

"Draco, wake up!"

Draco shot up in bed, panting, cold sweat all over his body, making his t-shirt stick to his torso. A single light from the lamp on Samira's side of the bed showed him that he was not at the Manor… not at Hogwarts. He was at home.

He was at home… and Samira was looking at him with the utmost panic and concern.

"My God, Draco; are you ok?" she asked, searching his face.

He pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes, trying to take away the images that still hovered there. He tried to control his breathing, but it was as if he could still smell the smoke… the burning flesh…

He immediately jumped out of the bed and headed for the bathroom where he emptied the contents of his stomach. He was glad to see that Samira hadn't followed him. He cleaned up after himself and cleansed his mouth. When he walked back into the bedroom he didn't find her there.

A few seconds passed before she walked in to the bedroom with a mug in her hand. He sat on the edge of the bed and barely noticed as she sat down next to him and forced the mug into his hands.

He took a small sip of the strong tea infused with what appeared to be brandy.

Samira tentatively reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder, rubbing it slowly. "Do you often have nightmares?"

Draco remained silent. He had been having nightmares on occasion from the minute he had been assigned to kill Dumbledore… seven agonizing years.

"I was scared for you, Draco," Samira said tensely. "You were murmuring, thrashing about and screaming."

She sniffed and brought her hands to her eyes. She took a few deep breaths and turned to look at him as he stared at the mug in his hands. He seemed immobilized, unable to talk or do anything but stare at the mug.

"I'm guessing you don't wish to speak of it," she said quietly.

Draco said nothing.

He watched Samira take the mug from his hands and place it on the bedside table next to him. She pushed him back on the bed and brought the covers around him and then moved to her side of the bed, turned off the lamp and got into bed next to him.

She laid her arm across his stomach and rested her head on his shoulder. She stroked his cheek softly, tempting him back to sleep… but he knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep. It was nearly four in the morning and the next day was a Monday, so he would just stay awake until he had to get ready for work.

He heard Samira's breathing even out again and he tightened his hold on her. His mind was still on a strange track, repeating the images from the terror he had seen in his sleep state.

He didn't know how, but he found himself waking many hours later with the sun streaming through the drapes of his bedroom. He looked at the clock on the wall and was surprised to see it was almost noon.

When he reached out his hand to Samira, he found her gone from the bed.

He tried to remember what day it was and with a groan, realized it was a Monday… he was late for work. Very, very late.

He got up from the bed and before he could enter the bathroom for a quick shower, Samira stepped into the room dressed in jeans and blouse, dressed for the day. He smiled at her and she smiled strangely back at him.

"I can't believe I overslept," he said as he tugged his shirt over his head.

"I owled Blaise and told him you wouldn't make it today and I owled Michael and told him I wouldn't make it either," Samira said, picking up Draco's shirt from where he tossed it on the bed.

Draco leaned against the doorframe. "Why are we playing hooky?"

She looked at him carefully. "I would think after the rough night you had, you would need the extra sleep and the day off."

"Rough night? What are you talking about?" he asked, perplexed.

"You don't remember what happened last night?" she asked slowly.

"I remember our parents coming over and then talking to you about Sebastien and then falling asleep," he answered.

"You had a nightmare last night," she said. "It was awful and... you don't remember it?"

"I had a nightmare? Did I wake you?"

"You really don't remember," she said, mostly to herself.

"I always forget what I dream about, a lot of people do, Sam," Draco said, worried at the confused look on her face.

"This wasn't a normal dream, Draco. You were yelling and shaking and… you woke up and then threw up," she tried to explain.

In an instant, the entire night assaulted his memory and he had to close his eyes to try and block it. The fire, the Manor, the Dark Lord, the dead woman, the screams…

He rubbed at his face and shook his head, as if to clear the images, which refused to leave.

"I think you repressed it," Samira mumbled.

"No, I remember," he said slowly.

"I'm sorry, Draco. Do you want a Dreamless Sleep Draught? I brought some extra vials from work," Samira said.

Draco shook his head. "I'm going to shower."

She watched him walk into the bathroom and felt her heart constrict with sympathy and concern for him. She waited for him to finish showering, busying herself with making him something to eat.

He walked into the kitchen a few minutes later, his damp hair dark and ruffled from a quick towel-dry. He gave her a quick kiss and sat at the table quietly, folding his hands in front of him.

Samira sat across from him and set his food before him.

He looked up at her. "Did you give me brandy last night?"

"Yes, I put it in your tea."

"That's alcohol," he said.

"I know, I found it in one of your cabinets and it's supposed to soothe your nerves," she replied.

Draco nodded and picked at the food in front of him.

"Who is Crabbe?" Samira asked cautiously.

He looked at her with hesitancy. "Where did you hear that name?"

"You said it while you were sleeping," she said, twisting the salt shaker on the table. "Did he die in the war?"

"Yes," he said simply.

"Was he your friend?"

"You could say that," he said.

"What does that mean?"

"Whatever you want it to mean," he said, growing a bit peeved at the conversation. How was it that she could ask him of his past and he couldn't ask her about hers?

Samira noted the irritation in his tone and stayed silent. Leaving his meal untouched, Draco got up from the table and left the kitchen. She decided not to follow him, knowing that it would be better to leave him be until he was ready to talk to her.

* * *

Draco stood on the balcony of his penthouse, leaning against the balustrade as he watched the muggle cars pass along the street. His mind was a jumble of things he didn't want to think about and things he needed to think about.

It had been several hours since he had left Samira in the kitchen, coming out to the balcony and watching the sun move in the sky ever so slowly. He had heard her rustling around in the kitchen and the living room, which led out to the balcony. He felt a hint of remorse for being rude to her. She had made sure he was comfortable and feeling well and he had given her a horrible attitude.

He heard the glass door behind him open and glanced sideways as Samira leaned against the balustrade next to him, looking down at the street.

Her hair blew in the wind, fluttering the dark waves away from her face. She had a small smile on her face as she watched the street below, her elbow touching his on the railing.

He couldn't help but reach his hand out and entwine his fingers with hers. She looked over at him briefly and her smile grew when he brought her hand up to his lips.

"I was doing the laundry and happened upon something quite funny," she said quietly.

"What was that?" he asked.

"You have eight pairs of black, silk boxers. Couldn't you pick any brighter colors?" she asked with a small laugh.

"I have a pair of smiley-face boxers that Blaise gave me for my eighteenth birthday, but I have never worn them," he replied.

Her laugh was infectious. "Oh, God. I _must_ see these boxers. You will model them for me, won't you?"

He saw her feline smile and felt his groin tighten. She was his little minx. "I'm not sure… what would you model for me?"

"Well, it's only fair if you picked what I modeled, since I picked for you," she said after she thought for a moment.

"Ok, then, I pick… your birthday suit," he said shamelessly.

"Is it sad that I knew without a doubt that you were going to say that?" she said.

"Quite sad," he laughed. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Sami, I want to apolo…"

She quieted him by pressing her lips to his and kissing him tenderly. She pulled back and ran her finger down his nose. "I know, Draco. Come on; let's go get some dinner and we can talk."

He knew then that she understood him and didn't pity him… and that's when he realized he loved her. He had fallen completely and hopelessly and terribly in love with her.


	9. Nothing to Cushion Your Heart

Disclaimer: I do not own HP things

A/N: sorry for the long wait! Thanks for all the reviews, guys! The chapter title comes from the song, "Living in Your Letters" by Dashboard Confessional

I've put up a picture of Melania in my profile. Go check the cute babe out!

* * *

**Chapter 9: Nothing to Cushion Your Heart**

Office meetings must have been created by the devil himself. No one should have to suffer through them. Boring couldn't even begin to describe them, as necessary as they were.

Draco struggled to keep his eyes open as an employee explained how they had received a new contract from a new stationery store that had opened in Hogsmeade.

"Mr. Malfoy, you still have to decide who gets to work with this client," an eager, rookie employee said.

Draco nodded and chose the enthusiastic accountant and another experienced financier to work on the new accounts. The whole meeting took an hour and Draco wanted to just sit in his office until it was time to go home.

Blaise followed him into his office and sat across from him at the desk.

"So, tell me why you keep moping around here," Blaise said with a small smile. "I thought you were happy Samira moved in with you. It's been a month living together, right?"

Draco nodded. "One month and it's going great."

"You're hiding something from me."

Draco sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Remember when I told you about the night she had finished moving in and I had that nightmare?" He waited for Blaise to nod. "Well, she really took care of me and I appreciated it and she didn't even push me to talk about it."

"She's way too good for you, mate," Blaise laughed.

"Exactly!" Draco said. "It's been bloody fantastic having her living with me these past few weeks and I've been keeping something from her."

Blaise's eyes widened and he leaned forward in his chair. "What?"

"I've figured something out, but I haven't told her."

"What?" Blaise asked again.

"I love her," he said.

"You love her? Well, that was obvious from the beginning," Blaise snorted.

"See, the problem is that I can't tell her because she still hasn't told me important things that I should probably know. She hasn't told me why she doesn't drink, she hasn't told me about her crazy ex, and she hasn't told me about why she's chosen not to have children. Am I being selfish in wanting to know these things before I tell her how I feel?"

Blaise stayed quiet for a moment, thinking. "Frankly, Draco, I think you have every right to want to know everything about her. That's the point of a relationship, right? So, if she's holding back, then maybe you have to just push harder."

Draco shrugged. "Ok, I'll talk to her sooner or later. I just don't want to push her because she didn't do that to me when I clearly needed to tell somebody about those damn nightmares."

"Those will go away," Blaise added. "I think once something positive in your life happens, those dreams will eventually fade."

Draco thanked his friend for the small chat and kept his advice in mind.

* * *

"Melly, baby, sit still so I can button up your jumper," Samira told her squirming niece.

It was a Saturday morning and Samira was watching Melania while her brother and Rosa ran some errands. Draco was at a Quidditch match with Blaise, leaving Melania and Samira by themselves.

Melania climbed down from the couch the minute the final button was buttoned and ran to the ottoman. She climbed on top of it and sat down, facing her aunt on the couch.

"You cammot catch me, Auntie Tham!" she giggled.

"No, I cannot," Samira said with a smile. "Why don't you come and sit on my lap, so we don't make a mess?"

"Will Raco be mad if a meth?" Melania asked with wide eyes.

"Draco can never be mad at you. He's such a softie when it comes to your big brown eyes and your cute little everything."

Samira sighed as Melania climbed up into her lap.

"Melania, baby, do you love Draco?"

"Yeth!"

"Do you think Auntie Sam loves Draco?"

"Yeth!"

"Do you think Draco loves Auntie Sam?"

"Yeth!"

"Do you think I'm crazy for having a serious conversation with a two-year-old?"

"Yeth!"

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Yeth! Thecretth are thecret!" Melania babbled, not completely following the conversation anymore.

"I really do love Draco, Melania, but I don't know if he loves me," she said softly. Yes, she'd officially lost her marbles, speaking to a two-year-old.

"I love you, Auntie Tham!" Melania said.

The two of them spent most of the day watching Elmo and eating graham crackers with apple juice. It wasn't until later that afternoon that Melania finally fell asleep, leaving Samira to drift off after her on the couch.

Draco and Blaise walked into the flat to find the two females sleeping on the couch, Elmo still on the TV singing a song about helping hands. Blaise put a hand over his heart and sighed quietly, making Draco roll his eyes.

They turned the TV off and Draco picked up Melania from the couch and put her on the bed in his room. He came back to find Samira stirring awake and Blaise rummaging around in the kitchen.

Samira opened her eyes to find Draco standing before her, looking down at her. She looked around and smiled up at him. "Where's Melania?"

"Sleeping in our bed," he answered, sitting down next to her on the couch.

"Thank you," she yawned and wrapped her arms around him. She pulled him to her and kissed him softly, breaking apart only when they heard Blaise's wolf-whistle from the entryway.

Samira turned red and frowned at Draco. "Thanks for telling me he was here," she said.

Draco and Blaise shared a grin at which point Samira sighed and left the two boys to themselves. "Are you going to join us for dinner, Blaise?" she asked, walking into the kitchen.

"I'd love to, but I have a date tonight," he said with a shy grin, an action he never exhibited.

"Wait, Daphne said she also had a date tonight," Draco said. "You finally gathered the courage to ask her out?"

Blaise shrugged. "I was just waiting for the right time. I'm taking her to dinner and then to my place."

Samira walked back into the room at that point. "No, Blaise. Please, don't take her back to your place."

"Why? I do that with all the other girls," he said, a confused look upon his face.

"Exactly," she pointed out. "Those other girls were not reputable characters, whereas Daphne is a very sweet and respectable woman. I'm going out on a limb here, but I think you two have great potential, so please, take my advice and don't take her to your flat. A kiss goodnight should suffice."

"That's it? A kiss goodnight?" Blaise asked with subtle shock.

"Blaise, Blaise, Blaise… you have so much to learn," Draco sighed with a coy smile.

"If you trust my opinion and if you want it to work out with Daphne, then I think you should heed my suggestion," Samira added.

"How long will I have to go home to cold showers?" Blaise asked.

Samira gaped at him. "Um, well I think you two will know when the time comes."

Blaise looked between Draco and Samira and finally shrugged both shoulders. "Fine. I guess I'll try it your way tonight. But if Daphne invites me to her place, all rules are out."

"Deal," Samira smiled and walked back into the kitchen.

Soon, Blaise left and Draco walked into the kitchen to find Samira sitting at the table flipping through the Quidditch pamphlet they had received at the game.

"Did you have fun?" she asked, reading the scores as if she understood them. She didn't understand them.

"It was a good game," he said, taking the seat across from her. "The Falcons lost, so your brother owes me a few sickles."

She smiled at him. "Stop betting with my brother. He has the worst luck and I think you've caught on."

He laughed and jumped when something touched his leg.

He looked under the table to find Melania crawling around and pulling at the cuff of his pants. "Look who's awake!" he exclaimed, reaching down to save his pants.

"Raco!" she squealed as he hauled her from under the table and into his lap.

"How on earth did she get into the kitchen without us seeing her?" Samira asked with a confused smile.

"She's a sneaky little thing," he said, tickling the babe until she squirmed and squirmed.

"Potty, Raco," she said, calming down from her fit of giggles. "Potty, pee-pee!"

"I'll take her," Samira said, standing up and reaching for her niece. "You keep tickling her and she'll just show you how much she has to potty."

Draco quickly handed the toddler over and went over to the stove to see what Samira was making. She was a decent cook and had automatically assumed the position of dutiful girlfriend chef when she had moved in. She was the perfect woman…

* * *

Michael had come by shortly before they had dinner to pick up his daughter and be teased relentlessly by Draco on the loss of his team.

A few hours later found Draco and Samira lounging in front of the TV as she proceeded to explain the significance of the goldfish on the Elmo program. Draco wasn't getting it, so they moved on to lying on the couch and talking about nothing in particular.

"Do you get the feeling that you know so much about me, yet you don't know anything?" Draco asked.

Samira raised an eyebrow. "Sometimes I do, yes. But then, we've only known each other two months."

"Two months is a long time," he said.

She shrugged and Draco saw the instant guard that went up in her eyes. He let out an irritated sigh and got up from the couch. "I'm going to sleep," he muttered.

"Fine," she replied, grabbing a book and ignoring him as he walked into the room.

For some reason, he'd had enough. He loved her and wanted more. He couldn't just idly stand by and let her keep things hidden, bottled up when he wanted to know everything there was to know about her.

He stalked into the bathroom and did his necessities before going to the sink to wash his hands. He found no soap and his irritation went up one more notch. It was just one of those times when the little things were starting to accumulate.

He looked under the cabinet for some extra soap but didn't find any.

"Sam? Where is the extra soap?" he yelled from the bathroom.

"In the linen closet on the top shelf!" she yelled back.

He went over to the anteroom of the bathroom and looked in the linen closet. He found the soap and picked it up. He almost closed the door to the linen closet when something caught his eye.

It was hidden in the back and it was a small, bright red bottle. He picked it up and recognized it as a prescription phial. He read the information inscribed on the bottom: _prescribed to Samira Adara Dunvale; Anti-depressive potion to be taken once a day_.

Anti-depressants?

He looked closer and saw that the medicine was expired… had been expired for a while.

His temper reached a peak he did not understand. He clenched the bottle in his hand and walked to the living room and stopped before Samira on the couch.

She looked up from her book and sat up, wary of his mood.

He opened his hand and dangled the bottle in front of her. "Explain," he said softly, anger infused in his tone.

She looked at the bottle in his hands and then looked at him. "Where did you find that?"

"Doesn't matter. Tell me why you have anti-depressants."

"It's an old prescription," she said quietly. "I don't take them now. I haven't taken them in over a year."

"Why did you used to take them?" he asked.

"Because… because I was, because I… um," she stammered, wetting her lips. "I don't… I don't take them anymore, Draco."

"I know you don't," he said firmly. "But you used to and now tell me why you did. What drove you to the point that you had to take them?"

She looked up at him with wide eyes and shook her head.

"Tell me!" he yelled, his temper ranging out of his control.

"I can't!" she screamed, her eyes filling with unshed tears.

"Why?" he spat back. "I'm so sick of this, Sami! God, just tell me what the hell went on in your life so I can understand you! Tell me what has happened so that I can help you get over it, because you clearly are not over it!"

She stood up from the couch and shook her head again.

"You don't understand!" she said. "I can't tell you. I'm too ashamed and I will not let you look at me the way I look at myself each and every day… with shame and pity!"

"Why the fuck would I pity you? Why would I be ashamed of you? You don't even trust me to have full faith in you and to support you no matter what!" he shouted. "I ask you questions about why you have such an aversion to alcohol… questions about your ex, questions about why you have those scars on your waist. You think I don't notice? I see you naked almost every day and yet you keep me in the dark about things that I think I have a right to know about!"

He threw up his arms in frustration and nearly dropped his jaw in shock when Samira winced and put her own arm up over her face, as if to protect herself from attack.

He lowered his arms slowly and gawked at her for several seconds as she cowered from him, against the wall, her arm in front of her face.

"Please, don't hurt me," she whimpered.

He couldn't believe his eyes… he couldn't believe his ears.

"Samira?" he asked.

She put her arm down and blinked up at him.

"Did you actually think I would hit you?" he asked, completely flabbergasted.

She shook her head slowly. Her eyes were filled with tears and her eyelashes spiked with the wetness.

"He used to hit you, didn't he?" Draco asked, realization dawning on him. "Sebastien used to hit you."

Samira stayed silent but shook her head violently.

"He did!" Draco said. "Don't deny it!"

"I can't, Draco. Please, don't talk about it. Don't make me talk about it," she pleaded. "Please!"

"Samira, you have to talk about it. Tell me what he did to you," he said, stepping towards her.

She shook her head again and stepped closer to the wall.

"I can't believe you don't trust me with this, Sam," he said. "You don't trust me at all."

She looked up at him, startled. "That's not true! I do trust you."

"No, you don't," he said. He couldn't believe what he was about to say. "I'm giving you one more chance, Sam. Either tell me, or we're through. I'm tired of this game we play where our conversation revolves around the superficial and any mention of anything that makes you uncomfortable must be forgotten."

She looked at him through glassy eyes. "I'm sorry, Draco… I, I c-can't."

"You've made your choice then," he said bitterly. "I'll stay at the Manor while you move out."

And with that, he left her standing in their… his… penthouse. She sank to the floor and brought her hands up to her face, unfeeling, numb, empty. She had no tears. She was in shock… in some sort of limbo.

He was really gone. He had really just ended it with her. The gnawing pain inside of her was proof enough. The empty penthouse was just visible evidence.

* * *

It was after midnight when Narcissa was roused from sleep by a house-elf.

"Mistress Narcissa!" the house-elf whispered loudly. "Master Draco is here. He told us not to wake you, but he doesn't seem himself, ma'am."

Narcissa blinked at the wide-eyed house-elf. "Draco is here? What time is it?"

"Nearly one in the morning, Mistress," he said. "I'm sorry for waking you, but we are most worried about the young Master."

Narcissa nodded and got out of the bed, leaving a lightly-snoring Lucius asleep. She pulled on her silk dressing gown and followed the house-elf out of the bedchamber. Once she came upon Draco's old room, she knocked lightly and thanked the house-elf quietly.

There was no response to her knocking, so she opened the door slightly and poked her head in.

Draco stood near the window, his back facing her. His shoulders and back were tense underneath the white shirt he wore.

"Draco, dear?" she said quietly, closing the door behind her and walking into the room.

He didn't turn around or say anything.

"Whatever's the matter?" she asked, coming to stand next to him at the window. She was a tall woman, but he still stood a head or two above her.

She looked into his face and saw unbridled fury flashing in his eyes. Desperate pain clung to his features and she was startled by the sight of grief written clearly across his face.

"What's happened? Why are you here, love?" she asked softly.

"Can I stay here a few days?" he asked tersely.

"Of course you can, Draco. You are always welcome here," she said worriedly. "But answer me this; why can you not stay at your flat?"

"Samira's moving out," he said simply.

"Oh, dear," she sighed, bringing her fingers to her mouth. "What happened?"

"We've decided to end things between us. It wasn't working out," he said, his grey irises turning so dark, they almost looked black.

"You had an argument?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Maybe you two just need to sleep on it, give yourselves a bit of space to calm down. Arguments can always be settled," Narcissa urged.

"No," he replied. "My relationship with Samira is over, mother. Now, if you please, I'd like to sleep. Thank you, for letting me stay here."

He turned from the window and lay down on the bed. Narcissa shook her head in disbelief and left the room, used to her stubborn son's ways.

* * *

Samira arrived at her parents' house near dawn and let herself in using the spare key they had given her. All of her belongings had been shrunken and were safely stowed in her purse.

Packing everything up had been the most awful experience she could think of, and that included the violent end to her relationship with Sebastien. She tiptoed through the foyer and jumped when Teta appeared out of nowhere in front of her.

Teta crooked her finger at her granddaughter, summoning her into her bedroom.

Samira sank down onto her grandmother's bed and rested her elbows on her knees, completely exhausted, emotionally drained.

"I have never read a more awful _essence de la vie_," Teta said softly, sitting next to Samira. She placed her weathered, wrinkled hand on her granddaughter's and hugged her tight. "Tell me what happened, _ya bintee._"

Samira sighed and felt the tears well up in her eyes. She willed them with all her might not to fall. "I couldn't tell him, Teta. I c-couldn't…"

"I see," Teta said and stroked Samira's hair.

"It's over and I, I feel so awful. I know I should have told him… I love him. I love him more than I've ever loved anyone and I never even told him that. Now, he hates me and I hate myself."

"He does not hate you, _ma douce._ He was frustrated, no?"

"I'm frustrated with myself, Teta. I hate that I can't get over it, but I just can't help it. I wish I were a stronger person and I wish Draco never met me. I'm not the girl for him and he deserves someone who is not me."

"That is enough of that, Sami. He deserves you because you love him. End of story. He loves you, too, but he cannot express himself because you are not open with him. I told you that you must come to grips with your problems before the two of you will ever work."

"It hurts a lot, Teta," Samira smiled sadly. "I don't know if I'm ever going to get over him."

"I can't say anything for sure, _habibti_, but don't ever think that anything in this world is final. I've been reading fortunes and predicting things since I was your age, but one thing I have learned through all of it is that nothing is ever certain. Ever. Always remember that," Teta said solemnly. "Now you need to sleep. I will explain to your parents when they wake up, so you just go sleep."

Samira hugged her grandmother tight and wiped her eyes from the few renegade tears that had escaped. Life was going to be just a bit harder from there on out.

* * *

"I leave you alone for one night and you go and break up with her?" Blaise asked incredulously on Monday morning as they sat in Draco's office.

"Shut up, Zabini," Draco growled.

"You look like shit, mate," Blaise observed.

"Must I repeat my previous comment?" Draco replied sharply, leaning back in his chair.

"Did you even brush your hair before you left the house?"

"Yes. Now leave."

"Stop running your fingers through it because it's going to get greasy and it's starting to stick up on the sides. You look like a deranged cockatiel," Blaise commented.

Draco picked up his wand and pointed it in Blaise's direction. "If you value your body parts, then I suggest you get out of my office."

"Daphne said you yelled at her when she brought you tea with no milk. Stop being a little bitch to everyone here because we're not your minions. We're your employees and most important of all, we're your friends. We only want to help," he said, leaving the office on that note.

Draco flexed his fingers and clenched his jaw. He knew he was being a prissy, rotten, spoiled brat. But he didn't give a flying fuck. He had gone to his penthouse the previous weekend and found it empty… it nearly sickened him. He had lived by himself for years and he had never felt as alone as he did after Samira had vacated the flat.

He had moped around the entire weekend doing nothing but sleeping and eating whatever his mother forced him to eat. She had seemed to sense that if it weren't for her, he probably would have forgotten to feed himself.

Lucius had come around to visit him, only to look at him in mild disgust and roll his eyes. "Since when do Malfoys show horribly tactless emotions? Buck up and put some normal pants on. Those drawstring ones make you look like a homeless person." His father sure knew how to raise a person's spirits.

"Don't listen to your father, my love. He seems to forget the time I broke our engagement because he was acting like an idiot. He actually cried," Narcissa had said in a whisper, winking at her son and then smirking politely at her husband.

It had been a shitty weekend.

He had vowed to himself that he wouldn't go crawling back to her… she had hurt him. She didn't trust him enough and she had made him fall in love with her to the point where it was excruciating now that she was gone.

Yet… she had been so supportive of him. She had always thought of him and always made sure he was happy. Two months of bliss. He had never been happier in his life. With her, he forgot about his troubled past, his guilt, his shame. Without her, they all came rushing back, plus the hurt he now felt that she was gone.

But he wouldn't make the same mistake and overlook her distrust of him. He still had his pride, damnit.

Damn. It.

* * *

Samira looked out the window overlooking the executive center near her office building.

It had been a week since she had moved out of Draco's flat. Her parents hadn't said a word and she was grateful for them not giving any comments that might have pushed her over the emotional edge. She flirted with that edge several times a day.

Her entire relationship with Draco had happened so fast. It was the best thing to ever happen to her, yet it was over and it had left her with utter emptiness and the worst feelings of even more guilt and shame.

She hated her weakened state, but knew that she would never put herself through any of that again. She was obviously not meant to be in any relationship. She couldn't give a man any children, she couldn't come to grips with her past and she was weak. Weak, weak, weak.

Why couldn't she be strong? It was the foremost question that swam through her head when she cried into her pillow before falling asleep from exhaustion.

Spinsterhood was nice, right? She could just be a great aunt to Melania and any future nieces and nephews. She would focus on her career and help her father and brother expand the company.

None of those thoughts were appealing. None of them featured Draco.

"Sam?" Michael's voice came from the doorway to her office.

Samira quickly wiped her tears away and turned away from the window. "Yes, Michael?"

He wasn't fooled. He walked over to her and brought her into his arms, hugging her tight. "Sami, I hate seeing you like this."

"I'm sorry, I know I should be doing something productive, but my mind is just not focusing. I'm a horrible excuse for an employee."

"Yeah, you are," he laughed, rubbing her back.

She laughed lightly and pulled away. "I finished the inventory of the Edinburgh office. They owled me their information yesterday and I finished it up this morning. I left a copy on your desk and one on dad's."

Michael looked uncomfortable for a second. "Did you, um, send a copy to our accountant?"

Samira looked down at her fingernails. "Yes. I sent a copy to Dragon Elgin Enterprises."

"Well, there's a step in a positive direction. You're capable of writing his name."

She shrugged and fiddled with her sleeves. "I addressed it to Blaise."

"Ah. Never mind then," Michael smiled. "We'll get there, though, babe. If you can bounce back from the disaster with Sebastien, then you can bounce back from this."

"Michael, I don't think I ever bounced back from what Sebastien did to me. That's what caused my relationship with Draco to end… and I never loved Sebastien. I loved… I _love_ Draco."

"I'm not going to tell you how to live you life, Sam, but I want you to know that I'll always be here to help you out. You're my baby sister and when you showed up at my doorstep after your breakup with Sebastien, I wanted to go out and kill the bastard. I still do. With Draco, I think you both need to sort out your emotions and your own personal demons before you can progress in a solid relationship."

Samira smiled softly at her brother and wiped her eyes _again._ Her eyes were traitorous things, leaking at every single turn.

"Thank you, Michael. I appreciate that."

"I know you need a healing period to get over Draco, if that will ever happen, so I'm going to let you grieve and whatnot."

Samira laughed and shook her head. "Thanks again."

He smiled back at her and left her office.

This left Samira to her own troubled thoughts and the mountain of paperwork that just wouldn't seem to complete itself.

She missed him… boy, did she miss him.

* * *

Draco walked into his bedroom, feeling the annoying aura of emptiness now that Samira wasn't in the bed, smiling at him coquettishly.

He missed her… boy, did he miss her.


	10. Loved You with a Fire Red

Disclaimer: I do not own HP related items and characters

A/N: sorry for the wait!! Thanks for all the reviews and I hope you enjoy this chapter! The chapter title comes from the song, "Apologize" by One Republic

* * *

**Chapter 10: Loved You with a Fire-Red**

Three empty bags of crisps and nearly twenty chocolate-frog wrappers lay on the floor around Samira's couch. That had been her meal for the past two weeks. Not the healthiest choice… but usually, she forgot to eat.

"You're hurting no one but yourself, _habibti_," Teta said, cleaning up the mess with a twitch of her wand. "A month of wallowing and moping about… I am tired of it."

"I'm not wallowing or moping about," Samira defended, hugging her arms around herself as she lay on the couch.

"It has been one whole month of the most depressed I've ever seen you," Rosa said from the armchair. "You need to forget about him."

"Stop telling me that!" Samira snapped. "Everyone keeps telling me that I have to forget him, that I have to move on and pretend like he didn't exist. Do you know how hard that is? He's the only stupid man I've ever loved and I can't just forget him, so stop telling me to."

"That's it," Sofie said, standing up. "Get dressed, Sami. We're going out. Don't even think about saying no."

Samira watched her mother walk to the bedroom and retrieve some clothes. The gnawing pain that had eaten away at her for the past month was still strong… she wanted to be stronger, but Draco was not someone she could put behind her. Even though she knew she had to.

Sofie returned with some jeans and a blouse for Samira to wear, ignoring her daughter's grumbles. "Now, get dressed. We're going to go shopping for the party."

"What party?" Samira asked, pulling the blouse on and zipping up the jeans.

"Michael told you about it last week," Rosa answered. "The Minister's wife is throwing an election party for the Minister and I managed to get four tickets. You're going because you told Michael you would."

"I did?" Samira asked, not recalling the conversation with her brother. "I really don't remember."

"That's because you haven't been paying attention to anything around you for the past month. It's too late to back out now. I've already told her we're coming."

"Who're you giving the fourth ticket to?" Samira asked.

"That's up to you, Sam. Find a date," Sofie said.

Samira stared at the three women as she sank back onto the couch. "A date?"

"Yes, a date. A man, preferably," Rosa teased.

Samira shook her head. "No, no more dates… no more men. I can't go through it all again. I'm destined to be a spinster."

"Spinster? Bah…" Teta grumbled. "You need to learn how to deal with your problems."

She ignored her grandmother and stared glumly at her shoes. "Give the ticket to someone else. I'll go to the party with you and Michael."

Rosa shared an exasperated look with Sofie and Teta. "Fine, but get your melancholy butt up so we can get you out of this house."

Samira had been living with her parents and Teta, unable to re-rent her old flat. Her parents had told her that she could stay there until she found a new place to live and the first day she had looked up advertisements for flats she had come across the same building where Draco lived. She hadn't looked at an ad again since.

* * *

Blaise watched Draco tap his fingers against the dark, wooden table they sat at. Their table, located at the back at the restaurant was separated from the other tables, giving them a bit of privacy.

"I'm glad you agreed to meet her," Blaise said, handing the menu back to the waitress.

"You didn't give me much choice. I was very happy sitting at home watching the water drip out of the faucet before you forced me under wand-point to come with you and meet this bird."

"Daphne said it was time you get back into the dating scene and stop acting like an annoying hermit. Samira is long gone and you need to get over her."

Draco sneered at his friend. "I told you not to mention her name."

"I told _you_ that it's time to put things in the past. Paulette is a very nice girl and Daph assured me that she's great. They even met in her aerobics class, so you know she's got to have a killer body. She's gorgeous and friendly and wants to meet you. I told her you were taking her to the Minister's Election Party."

"I'm still thinking about firing you for making me do this."

"It's all for your own good. I'm tired of seeing you in this spiral of depression over some girl."

"Samira wasn't just some girl..." Draco started to say. He rubbed at his face when he realized he was about to list everything that had made him fall in love with her.

God, it had been a month and it still hurt! There were so many little things that would remind him of her and he would instantly turn moody and grumpy and end up in bed hugging a pillow, cursing his head off.

"You're going to like Paulette. She's a doll," Blaise assured him.

"How wonderful for her."

"You better give her a chance, Draco. I mean it… your parents are worried that you've officially gone off the deep end. At least I told them that I had someone lined up for you so they didn't end up setting you up with some ditz from your mother's tea parties."

Draco remained silent and stabbed the napkin with his fork. "I'm still having those stupid nightmares. I think they've gotten worse since she left."

Blaise sighed and rubbed his chin. "If the two of you weren't so bloody stubborn and had actually talked to each other, then none of this would be happening."

"Why should I tell her my problems when she wouldn't tell me hers?" Draco asked… he had used that as an excuse since the beginning.

"Maybe it could have opened the door for her to tell you about her past if you had told her about yours," Blaise offered.

Draco shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. "You're right, I need to get over her. Tell me more about Paulette."

"I won't have to, here she is now…" he said, standing up.

Draco watched Paulette walk into the restaurant, her straight, flowing, honey-blonde hair pouring over her ample chest. Large, bedroom-blue eyes focused on the two males and crinkled at the corners as her wide, kissable lips slipped into a smile.

She was clinically beautiful: the poster-girl for classic English beauty, yet no spark seemed to light for Draco the way it did when he had first laid eyes on his exotic gypsy.

But, he would give Paulette a chance. It was time to move on.

"Draco, meet Paulette Andersen. Paulette, this is Draco Malfoy," Blaise introduced.

They shook hands and Draco assessed her the way males usually assessed the female sex. She was shorter than him, but not by much, very much taller than Samira had been. He _had_ to stop thinking about her.

"Nice to meet you, Paulette," he said politely, giving her his best forced smile.

She smiled shyly back at him and took the empty seat at their table. "It's nice to meet you, as well," she said in a gentle voice.

He couldn't help but compare it to the husky, jazzy voice that Samira had. Goodness… he had to stop comparing the poor girl to Samira because she would never measure up.

"So, Daphne tells me you're her boss," Paulette said, starting civil conversation.

"Yes, I run Dragon Elgin Enterprises and both Daphne and Blaise work with me," he replied.

"Hmm, I've never heard of the company. What do you do?" she asked.

"Finances for businesses and private investors."

"Oh, that's nice. I've never been very good with mathematics," she said with a slight blush. "I guess that's why I stuck to music."

"Paulette teaches piano and violin. She's a great musician," Blaise added.

Paulette seemed to blush even further. God, why couldn't she have been a pompous, arrogant, evil bitch? She seemed so modest and sweet. She was any man's dream girl!

"Is that right? I've never been able to play a note in my life," Draco told her, smiling when she laughed.

"Maybe I could teach you, then?" she said, looking at him from beneath her lashes.

"Well, you two, I'm going to get going. Daphne's making me go dress shopping with her. I tell you, this being whipped business isn't as fun as it sounds," he said as a parting note, leaving Draco and Paulette to themselves.

Draco watched his friend leave and then turned to the quiet girl at the table. She was studying his face and when he looked at her, she instantly lowered her gaze and cleared her throat. "I, um, went to Hogwarts, you know."

"Yeah? I don't remember you," he said, trying to remember if he had heard her name or seen her face.

"Oh, I was a few years below you. I just turned twenty a few months ago," she explained. "Blaise told me you were twenty-three?"

"Twenty-four. This past weekend was my birthday," he said.

"Oh! Happy birthday, then. What did you do?" she asked, smiling brightly at him.

"To tell you the truth. It wasn't all that great."

"Sorry to hear that. What made it so bad?" she asked, putting her hand on his in a comforting gesture.

"I spent it like I have spent the past few weeks, sleeping until the afternoon, kicking my parents or Blaise out of my flat and then drinking butterbeers and eating whatever my mum leaves for me in the kitchen," he said with a self-deprecating smile.

"That sounds a lot like me when my first real boyfriend broke up with me," she said with a sympathetic look in her eyes. "Did you recently break up with someone?"

He nodded and she understood that he didn't feel like going into details.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear about all that, but whoever the girl is, it's truly her loss. You're a very nice bloke, Draco," she said sweetly.

He smiled at her and thanked her, glad when the food arrived so that he had something else to focus on besides how much he missed Samira.

* * *

"I haven't seen you in anything but your jammies and your work clothes in such a long time! I forgot how gorgeous you can be," Rosa said with a sad smile.

Samira stood in front of her sister-in-law in the dress they had forced her to buy: a bright red dress, thin straps that criss-crossed in the back. It ended at her knee in a folded layer and according to Sofie, it stood out beautifully on her caramel skin.

"It's so bold," Sofie said, looking at her daughter with a smile. "_Tres jolie_, Samira. You have been so sullen and sad that this color brightens you up considerably."

Samira frowned and turned to look in the mirror. "It's too revealing and slutty… you can see my cleavage. Can I wear another one?"

Rosa laughed from behind her. "That dress is not revealing. It is subtly sexy and not at all slutty. I really love it, Sam. All the men will be looking at you with their jaws down to their toes."

"I don't want the men to look at me. I want to hide in the bathroom until you and Michael are ready to leave. You know I was never very good at socializing…"

"Well, that's too damn bad, babe," Rosa said, pinning back a portion of Samira's hair and letting the waves fall gracefully on her shoulder. "You're going to socialize and think of it as a business opportunity. Talk to people about maybe switching to your dad's apothecary business. I've heard some families have been even going to muggle chemists for medicine. We can't have that, now, can we?"

Samira sighed and closed her eyes as Rosa moved the eye-shadow brush over her lids.

"What color are you using?"

"Bronze. Now stop blinking."

"At least it's not blue, like that one Christmas ball at the Minsitry. Lord, Rosa, you made me look like a clown-whore that time," Samira smiled.

"Goodness, gracious, Sami, that's the first time I've seen you smile in a long while. You're so damned beautiful and yet you refuse to let me set you up…"

"Nope. No set-ups. I told you, I'm happy being single. There's no chance for heartbreak when you're single."

It was Rosa's turn to sigh as she applied the powdered kohl to Samira's large eyes. "Fine, you can be Melania's crazy, single aunt. That'll be your title."

"Fabulous," she replied, sticking her tongue out and accidentally getting lipstick in her mouth.

* * *

Paulette looked around the gargantuan ballroom, watching the rich, beautiful people mingle amongst themselves, talking, laughing and gazing all around them.

She had never been anywhere so fancy…

She turned to look at the man whose elbow she was latched on to. Draco was so devastatingly handsome, in that light, brooding way. There was a hint of sadness in his eyes that she had noticed from the minute she had met him. He was also a bit distant, mostly staying quiet, but polite.

After Blaise had left them at lunch a week before, Draco had owled her and asked her out for dinner and then once again the night before the Minister's election party.

Three dates and she had gotten to know that he was a confusing man. He was kind and well-mannered, yet he would say things in a sarcastic tone or say something really rude about someone and she would wonder how he could have such opposing characteristics.

But she liked him nonetheless and she hoped he liked her as well. They _were_ dating, so why wouldn't he like her? He had even kissed her goodnight after dinner on their third date. It was a peck, but still... it was a kiss.

"Did I tell you that I think you look really nice tonight?" he asked her, looking at the gold, floor-length gown she had on.

She smiled at him and kissed his cheek. "Thank you. You look very handsome yourself."

He nodded curtly and walked over to the open bar and grabbed two glasses of champagne. He almost didn't take one, but then remembered: he had to adjust to life after Samira. As he walked back to Paulette, he caught sight of Blaise and Daphne. Daphne was the minister's wife's cousin, so she had snagged the tickets for her and Blaise. Draco received complimentary tickets for working on the Ministry's investments.

Daphne and Paulette hugged and began chatting about girl-things as Blaise took Draco aside to question him.

"So, tell me, how's it going with Paulette?" he asked, his eyes dancing with mirth.

Draco shrugged. "It's going well. She's a nice girl."

"Nice? That's it?"

"What do you want me to say? That I'm head-over-heels in love with her?" Draco retorted. "She's nice and she's pretty. We've gone on three dates. I kissed her goodnight last night and I felt like an idiot."

"Why did you feel like an idiot?" Blaise asked.

"Because I'm leading the poor girl on!" Draco whispered angrily. "I have absolutely no feelings for her and I can't stop comparing her to Sam! It's driving me out of my damn mind."

"It'll take some time, Draco… do you think you could ever go for someone like Paulette or do you think you have to end things with her now before you end up hurting her?"

"I don't know," Draco sighed. "I just don't know. What I _do_ know is that I have to get over Samira, right? What I _don't_ know is if I can."

"Well, just focus on Paulette tonight and worry about your dilemma another time," Blaise offered. "I'm going to go talk to the Minister's wife because Daphne wants to introduce me."

Draco waved his friend away and went back to Paulette's side. She really did look pretty that night, her blonde hair swept up into a fashionable updo and her face subtly done in neutral tones.

She gave him her loveliest smile and took a sip of her champagne. "Do you hear that piano player? I am so tempted to go over there and tell him that the piano is out of tune. It's been driving me nuts. I think a well-aimed spell should tune it right up, though."

He smiled and looked to the back of the large room where a baby grand piano stood and a man in a tuxedo sat at it, playing a Renaissance piece.

"Would you mind terribly if I went and spoke with him?" Paulette asked.

"Be my guest," he replied.

He watched her walk away, the gold dress looking flawless on her tall, lean frame.

He looked around the ballroom and saw the fabulously dressed people, the colorful dresses, the dress robes, the suits. Everyone was dressed to the T and it all seemed so boring at that moment.

What he wanted to do was go home and mope… but he was stuck here, escorting his… girlfriend. God, why did he feel like such a jerk?

He walked towards the restrooms, the ballroom all of a sudden too noisy for his taste. He handed his empty champagne glass to a server and kept walking. He almost reached the door to the men's room when the adjacent women's room door flew open and a short package of red ran into him.

"Excuse me, sir," she said.

The world came tumbling down around him as he realized who had just spoken, who had just collided with him.

Her big, dark-brown eyes looked up at him in shock.

He looked back at her in shock, mostly because she looked like the Harem fantasy of every man between the ages of thirteen and eighty. Her dark eyes were framed in darker makeup, giving her a smoky, sultry look that had his body tightening in recognition. Her lips were painted in a fire-engine red to match her dress and her hair was all pinned to one side, flowing in dark waves over her shoulder.

He couldn't find his voice.

"Draco," she whispered, as if not believing he was actually in front of her.

"Hi, Sam," he said, his voice gruff.

She looked down at her manicured toenails poking out from her bright-red sandals and then looked back up at him. "How are you?"

"I'm doing… well," he replied.

They moved out of the way of a plump woman on her way to the bathroom. They stood in the quiet hallway housing the lavatories, facing each other.

"I saw Blaise and Daphne when I walked in," she said. "I'm glad it's working out for them."

She winced as she realized what a touchy subject she'd come upon. Oh, but he was so handsome, looking at her as if he'd forgotten what she'd looked like and was studying her as if he needed to pass an exam on her body.

"They seem really happy together," he said. "Blaise won't admit it, but I think Daphne's it for him. She's lasted longer than any other girl."

"He's a stubborn one, he is," she smiled slightly.

He chuckled lightly and fought the urge to take her in his arms and rip that dress off of her so that he could do naughty things to that body.

"How are your parents?" she asked.

"They're doing fine. I believe they're going on a cruise to the western coast of Africa. My mother wants to see Morocco, firsthand."

Samira smiled widely and he almost lost his self-control. "I do believe I was the one who had an influence in that. She asked me a while ago where she should go on a trip and of course, I did some advertising for my heritage."

He laughed again, his heart damn near soaring, realizing how much he'd missed her. She hadn't just been the woman he loved, she'd been his friend.

"I really hope they have fun," she said.

Draco looked around and something persisted in the back of his mind. "Did you, um, come here with someone?"

Samira shook her head, the gold earrings swinging with her. "No, just with Michael and Rosa. I feel like such a third-wheel."

He smiled and reached out, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"I've missed you, Sam," he said sincerely.

She looked at him and blinked quickly. "I've missed you, too." She took a breath and blinked again. "Listen, Draco, I just…"

"Draco! There you are," a voice that Draco did not want to hear spoke from behind them. He turned around slowly to face Paulette. Why couldn't the earth swallow him up right then and there?

"I've been looking everywhere for you," she said with a laugh. She caught sight of Samira and smiled. "Hello, there."

Samira blinked twice and finally realized that she had to smile back. "Hi."

Draco suppressed a groan when Paulette linked her arm through his and kissed his cheek.

"Paulette, this is Samira Dunvale. Samira, this is Paulette Andersen."

He watched them shake hands and felt his heart break all over again when Samira's eyes met his and saw the grief that had been mirrored in his.

"How do you two know each other?" Paulette asked.

"She's my…"

"Our companies work together," Samira interrupted. "Draco does our finances. He's a numbers genius, really."

"That's what I've heard," Paulette laughed. "Now, Samira is such an interesting name. Is it Spanish?"

Samira shook her head. "Arabic. My mother is from Morocco."

"Oh, how foreign!"

Samira nodded. "Well, it was nice meeting you Polly…"

"Paulette."

"Right, well, it was nice meeting you and it was good seeing you again, Draco," she said and left so fast he didn't have a chance to register what had just happened.

"Well, she seemed nice," Paulette said, squeezing his arm to bring his attention back to her. "Gorgeous girl, too. I knew she couldn't be English."

Draco didn't respond. His mind was spinning out of control. Seeing Samira again had completely thrown him off track. He knew he hadn't fallen out of love with her. If possible, he was more in love with her than when they had been together.

"I think I saw Daphne talking to an old friend of mine from Hogwarts. I'm going to go talk to them, Draco. Can I trust you not to run off again?" she asked with a teasing smile.

He nodded numbly, not really listening to her.

When she had walked away, he instantly looked around him, looking for Samira. He _had_ to talk to her. She was about to tell him something when Paulette had interrupted.

If he couldn't find her, then that was it for him. He was going to go home and sleep until Monday. He scoped out the room, but he couldn't find her. Damn.

He found Blaise and quickly spoke to him. "I'm going home, Blaise. Can you see Paulette home and give her my apologies?"

Blaise looked at his friend closely. "Sure, mate. But what's wrong? You don't seem well."

"It's nothing. If she asks, tell her I'll owl her some time this week."

Blaise nodded and watched his moody friend stalk out of the room. He had an inkling as to what was bothering him… and that inkling had been wearing a bright red dress and turning the head of every red-blooded male in the room.

* * *

Draco left the grand ballroom and walked down the elegant hallway of the Magic Menagerie Hotel where the party was taking place.

He had almost reached the exit when he heard a sound from a hallway veering off to the right of the doors. It was a hallway that led to private rooms and it was secluded.

He heard the noise again, a desperate sound…

Following the sound, he went down the isolated hallway and as the noise became closer, he realized it as a gasping sob. His feet moved faster and he finally came upon the back corner of the hallway where a huddled mass of red sat on the floor.

"Sami," he breathed, standing her up and cradling her to his chest.

She clung to the lapels of his robe, her crying down to a barely audible sound. "Go back, Draco," she said in a whisper.

"I can't, Sam. I'm not leaving you like this. Talk to me, tell me what's wrong," he said, running his fingers through her soft, lush hair. How he missed that hair. How he missed the way it felt across his chest when she lay on him after an explosive bout of lovemaking.

"Tell you what's wrong? Nothing. Nothing's wrong," she sniffed.

She pulled away from him and quickly wiped her cheeks. Her make-up hadn't run, thanks to Rosa's expert spells, but her eyes were pink and watery.

She hugged her arms around herself, as if suddenly chilled. "I'm really happy that you've moved on, Draco. I truly am. You're such a wonderful guy and you deserve a great woman like Polly."

"Paulette," he corrected softly.

She laughed quietly. "Yes, Paulette. She's beautiful, Draco. You two look so good together and I really hope she makes you happy. I wanted so badly to hate her, but she's too sweet and too nice for words."

She sniffed and ran a finger across her eyelashes. "Can you and I be friends, Draco? Please? I just miss you so much and I miss talking to you. You were my best friend, Draco. As sad as that sounds... I've never been very good at talking to people. Do you think Paulette would mind if we were friends?"

"Friends," he said hollowly. His eyes swept over the body-hugging dress. He had seen that body so many times, he had worshipped it, kissed it all over, tasted every part.

"Yes, friends. I mean, that is, if you want to. I can understand if it would be strange, but we've always been able to laugh at the awkward things, right?"

She looked at him and wet her ruby lips with her tongue, making him lose all rationality and reasoning he had left.

In one swift motion, he had her pinned against the wall, his mouth on hers, tasting her again… tasting the salt of her tears, tasting the sweetness of her mouth, reveling in the heat of her tongue that attacked his as viciously as his attacked hers…

He pulled back and looked at her stunned expression, her lips stung from his brutal kiss, her eyes still watery, but now filled with a hunger he hoped to satiate.

"This is a bad idea," she whispered in her throaty voice that drove him near wild.

He shook his head and kissed her lips again, softer this time. He groaned as she rubbed her hips against his, spreading her legs wider to rub him against her warm core.

"Bad idea," she whispered again, her eyes closed in ecstasy as his lips kissed a burning path down her neck and across her bare shoulder where the strap of her dress had fallen. "You… you have a girlfriend."

Draco chose to ignore her. He brought his lips back to hers and when she made a purring sound, he knew he was headed for dangerous waters. But if someone had thrown him a life-saver he would have ignored that, too.


	11. It's Compromise That Moves Us Along

Disclaimer: I don't own HP things and stuff

A/N: Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry for the long wait! I suck a lot for taking so long and I hope you all forgive me! You can yell at me and review at the same time ;) the chapter title comes from the song, "She Will Be Loved" by Maroon 5.

* * *

**Chapter 11: It's Compromise That Moves Us Along **

"Draco…" Samira breathed against his lips, her skin burning under his touch, her mind muddled with the agonizing passion she felt for the man she had never stopped loving. "Please, we must… we, we can't."

"Why?" his words came out in an anguished plea as he squeezed her tighter in his arms and pressed his warm lips to her neck, right below her ear.

"Y-you, you have…" She was finding it hard to concentrate on forming words when Draco was so near, his relaxing, spicy scent so potent around her, his skin touching hers. "Don't turn me into 'the other woman.'"

He stepped back from her, but continued holding her upper arms. "What?"

"Don't cheat on Paulette. You two are an item and you are a better man than to cheat on her. She doesn't deserve that."

He blinked quickly, trying to process what she was saying. "We're not an item."

"How many dates have you been on with her?" Samira asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Um, three," he said slowly.

"Have you kissed?"

"A quick kiss, a peck," he explained, seeing where she was going.

"Then you're an item. She obviously thinks so and it… it… um, Draco, what are we doing?!" she said suddenly, her face displaying a wide range of emotions.

"Sami, please, don't do this," he said.

"It didn't work out the first time," she said, her eyes wide and wary.

"We didn't try hard enough!" he fumed. "You have no idea what I went through when I came home to an empty flat."

She stared coldly at him. "_I_ have no idea? You think I didn't care?"

"You left quickly enough," he muttered angrily. "If you cared you would have stayed. You would have tried to work it out…"

"Don't you dare blame me," she said through gritted teeth, her eyes burning and her body suddenly cold from the loss of him.

Draco ran his hands through his hair, frustrated and aggravated. He finally sighed after counting to ten. Samira stood before him, her arms around her waist, her eyes watching him with sorrow shining belligerently.

"I can't do this," he said softly. "Samira, I can't… I need …"

"Draco?" Blaise's voice came from behind them. He looked anxious to interrupt.

Draco spun on his heels and glared at his friend. "What?"

Blaise ignored the venom in Draco's voice and looked at Samira. "Your brother and sister-in-law are looking for you."

Samira looked back at Draco and gave him a sad smile. "Go back to Paulette, Draco. I mean it. I'm not what you want, I'm not what you need, and I'm certainly not whole enough to be anything you deserve."

"What are you talking about? Samira, don't walk away," Draco said, watching her retreating form get smaller and smaller as she left the two men in the deserted hallway.

He cursed under his breath, cursed louder and then punched the wall. The stinging pain in his knuckles finally turned his attention to something besides the rage he felt.

"Come on, let's get you out of here before Paulette sees you," Blaise said.

"She infuriates me!" Draco spat. "What does she mean by me not deserving her?"

"Let it go, Draco," Blaise sighed. "She wants you to move on and forget her. Do us all a favor and listen to her."

"Shut up, Blaise," he replied and stormed out of the hallway, leaving the hotel and Blaise behind.

How dare she just walk back into his life and leave right back out? How dare she cause him pain he didn't want to feel? How dare she encourage him to go after another woman when all he wanted was to have her back?

* * *

Draco awoke to a headache and an even more irritated mood than the one he had went to bed with. The pounding at his front door didn't help either.

He got out of bed and slowly made his way to the door, remembering to throw on a shirt before answering. He opened it to find the last person he would have ever thought to find at his front door again.

"Uh, Teta, come in," he said, blinking slowly, making sure he was awake.

"Good morning to you, too, _ya habibi_," the old gypsy woman said, walking into his flat as colorful as usual.

"Let me just go change and I'll be right back," he said.

"No, it's ok. Your jammies do not offend me," she smiled.

He looked down at the plain shirt and sweats he had on. He shrugged because his head still hurt and he didn't feel like arguing. "Please, make yourself comfortable. Let me grab you some tea."

"I'm fine, _mon doux_, so sit yourself down here next to me and let me talk to you," she ordered, grabbing his arm and yanking him to sit next to her. She turned to face him and stared at him for several seconds. "Yes, yes. I know, _habibi_, it hurts."

He sighed and looked away from her wise eyes. "Yes, my head is throbbing."

"Hmm, your head is the least of your worries," she mumbled, reaching into her purse and bringing out a small bottle of powder.

He eyed the bottle warily and looked back at her as she unscrewed the cap and dipped her finger into contents. He stayed still as she stroked her finger across his forehead and then smiled at him.

He was amazed to find the throbbing pain in his head disappearing. "Some Gypsy pain reliever?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. "You are lucky you know me."

Draco laughed softly and nodded. "I am very lucky."

Teta hesitated for a moment and then sighed. "Draco, please, tell me. You are in pain?"

"The headache's gone," he told her, placing his hand on top of hers to quell her worry.

"Not the head pain. I talk about the pain inside… I have been reading you and it is not pretty," she admitted, patting his hand.

He gave her a sheepish smile. "Did Samira tell you that we saw each other last night?"

"Ah, so that is why the pain is so fresh," she said, nodding slowly. "I wondered why the both of you had such strong negative sensations. But, I also caught small hints of happiness. You exchanged words?"

"Yes, we talked, uh… and yes, we talked," he said, not about to tell the elderly woman that he almost ravished her granddaughter in the middle of a deserted hallway of a grand hotel.

"But you didn't talk about the right things because you are both in pain again," she shook her head.

"I think, Teta, that Samira and I just aren't meant to be," he said, not quite believing he was admitting his worst fears aloud. "She obviously doesn't think she's good enough for me or something stupid like that and frankly, I don't appreciate her distrust."

"Your days with the Death Eaters, they eat at you, yes?" Teta asked.

Draco wasn't expecting that question. He stiffened and turned away from the older woman. She laid a weathered hand on his cheek and turned him back to face her.

"You don't have to feel shame with me, _ya habibi_," she said quietly, her eyes warm with empathy and understanding. "You feel regret for those days."

He nodded and closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the couch.

"Even though you supported your father and his ways, you feel that by the end of it, you didn't want to be a part of it anymore. You were scared, ashamed, and just ready to get away from it all," she said softly.

At his silence, Teta wrapped her arms around him and brought him to her in the most grandmotherly embrace she could muster. "I do not think you are a bad man. You are a very good man, _habibi._ You changed into a better person and the regret you feel is the markings of a man who is ready to be someone he couldn't be as a child."

Draco sighed and nodded against her. "I regret so many things. It's just my luck that my conscience decided to show up now. Back then… I never even cared, not until I realized how much danger my family and I were in."

"These nightmares you have, describe them," she said.

"How did you know about those?"

"I know too many things," she replied with a small laugh.

He sighed again. "They're just awful memories. When I have them, it feels like I'm back there again and they just feel so real. I can smell the smoke from the fire, smell the burning flesh… I can hear the woman's screams so vividly. I can feel… I can feel how terrified I was."

"You were just a boy," Teta said tenderly. "Just a young boy who shouldn't have witnessed those things."

"Well, it happened and I can't do anything about it now," he told her.

"If you face your past, then the nightmares will go away. Repressing it, avoiding it will only bring you more pain. I tell Samira that over and over and she does not listen to me."

"How do I face it? I don't want the nightmares anymore. I haven't had a good night's sleep since… since Samira left," he admitted.

"You face it by taking away some of the guilt," Teta told him, stroking his fine-silk hair away from his face, her many jeweled rings cool against his skin. He had never been close with any of his grandparents, but Teta fit the role perfectly.

"How do I take away the guilt?"

"You harmed people in the war?" she asked.

"I didn't do much during the war, I was incapacitated most of the time," he replied. "But before the war, I was ruthless."

"Ruthless? You were a wayward, evil young man?" she asked with a laugh.

"I hated a lot of people. In fact, I still hate them," he said. "I don't think I can ever stop hating them."

"Why?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "I'm just so used to hating them… and there are three in particular that I can't stand above all. They are so… righteous and goody-goody and annoyingly saint-like."

Teta chuckled under her breath. "Hate is an emotion that leads to self-destruction. When you hate others you'll come to hate yourself."

"Those three are not the reason I hate myself. There are plenty of other reasons for that," he said.

"Your mama, she told me that you owe Harry Potter a life debt."

Draco groaned. "I'd rather forget."

"It must be awful to owe someone you hate your life," she said. "But he is a good person, no? As much as you hate him, he is still flesh and blood and human… it matters not that he is born with half-muggleborn blood."

"I don't hate him because of his blood," he sighed. "I hate him because… because, I just hate him. He's so disgustingly perfect and yes, I hate the fact that I owe him my life."

"You can face your past by thanking him," Teta said. "Thank him for saving your life and then the guilt can start to recede."

"Thank him?" Draco asked with a hint of disgust.

Their conversation was interrupted, however, when a knock at the door sounded.

Draco got up to answer the door, expecting Blaise to be there to check on him after the awful night at the ball.

Paulette greeted him with a warm smile when he opened the door. He had to suppress a groan.

"Good morning, Draco," she said quietly. "I just came to make sure you were ok. Last night you left so suddenly I didn't get a chance to say goodnight."

Draco leaned against the door, knowing his manners were quite rude in not inviting her in… but Teta was inside! How would he explain everything?

"Let her in!" Teta called from the living room. She must have read the girl's essence.

Draco opened the door wider and gestured for Paulette to come in. She hesitated a moment, giving him a curious look and stepped inside. She noticed the elderly woman sitting on the couch, knitting something, smirking slightly.

"Paulette, this is uh, Teta. Teta, this is Paulette Andersen," he introduced, wishing this was already over.

"How do you do?" Paulette asked politely, shaking Teta's hand.

"I do fine," Teta replied, sneaking a glance at Draco and barely concealing a smile. "You are Draco's girlfriend, yes?"

Paulette nodded slowly.

"You are very pretty," Teta said. "My Draco has very good taste in women."

Draco sank into a chair, rubbing his face. This was beyond awful. The supreme powers above were finally giving him his comeuppance for his actions as a youth.

"Are you Draco's grandmother?" Paulette asked, taking a seat on the couch.

"Almost," Teta said with a small chuckle. "I consider him like family."

Draco felt a strange feeling inside his chest, knowing that Teta thought of him that way. He didn't know when Samira's family had made such an impact on him. "She's my friend's grandmother. That's how we know each other."

Paulette nodded in understanding. "Well, it's very nice meeting you, Teta."

"Do you know my granddaughter?" Teta asked, not looking up from her knitting.

"Um, I don't believe I do," Paulette said, looking to Draco for clarification.

Draco shot Teta an exasperated glance. "You met her last night at the ball."

"Oh! The girl in the red dress? Samira, right?" Paulette asked.

He nodded, a stabbing feeling in his chest at the sound of his love's name on another girl's lips. "Yes, Teta is Samira's grandmother."

"She is such a beautiful girl," Paulette told Teta. "I didn't get to talk with her extensively, but she seemed quite nice."

He sighed and knew that things couldn't possibly get any worse.

But they could.

Another knock at the door sounded and Teta let out a laugh, shaking her head in mirth.

Draco stood up and walked to the door, wondering what the deal was with all these Saturday morning visitors. His breath left his body when he found Samira standing on the other side in her jeans and red blouse. Red… it reminded him of the previous night, how soft she was in his arms… how good she smelled, how throaty her voice became when he kissed her.

She looked at him and took a breath. "Hi, Draco."

"Sami… hi," he said, finding his voice.

"Um, I… I came to uh, tell you that I'm sorry for the way I acted last night, and uh, well, I asked if we could be friends and I really meant it, Draco. So, I was wondering if you wanted to er, hang out or something."

Draco had never seen her so flustered, so nervous. Her eyes kept darting around, looking anywhere but at him.

"Invite her in!" Teta's voice came again from the living room. She seemed to be enjoying herself.

Samira's eyes widened as she looked at Draco. "Teta is here?"

Draco smiled softly. "Yes. She's made it her duty to become my adopted grandmother."

She laughed quietly, making Draco's heart beat wildly against his chest. "That sounds like Teta. Well, can I come in?"

He hesitated a moment, remembering his other visitor. "Um, actually. I should warn you. Paulette is also here."

Samira hid her stunned expression quite well. "Your girlfriend and my gypsy grandmother are alone in that room? Have you lost your mind? She might put a spell on her or read her fortune," she whispered with a smile.

"Better yet, she could make her disappear," Draco muttered under his breath.

Samira shook her head at him and laughed, smacking his arm softly. "Let's go make sure they're both in one piece."

Draco followed after her, wondering to himself why she didn't understand that he _couldn't_ be friends with her. It was pure torture to be around her, laughing, talking, touching… all the while knowing that he couldn't have her… that she didn't want him in that way.

Wasn't it just a few days ago that he was mourning the loss of what they had, sinking into an agony he couldn't crawl out of if he tried? Why was she back in his life breaking his defenses, reminding him of all the reasons he loved her?

"Samira, _habibti_, come say hi to Paulette," Teta said from the couch. "She's Draco's _girlfriend._"

Samira had to control herself and not roll her eyes at her grandmother… and not burst into tears at the realization that Draco had indeed moved on. "Yes, I know, Teta. Paulette, it's nice to see you again."

Paulette stood up and shook hands with Samira. Draco couldn't help but compare them… dark and light, classically beautiful and deliciously exotic, blonde and brunette, someone he barely knew and someone he loved with all of his pathetic being.

"I regret we didn't get to talk so much last night," Paulette mentioned. "You said your business works with Draco's? That's how you two know each other?"

"Actually," Draco clarified. "Samira is one of my closest friends."

"Oh," Paulette smiled. "Well, I guess any friend of Draco's is a friend of mine."

Samira could hear her grandmother chuckling. The old gypsy was enjoying herself far too much. "Tell me, Paulette, how did you and Draco meet?" Samira asked, sitting down beside her grandmother and fighting the wave of nausea at seeing Paulette take a seat next to Draco, slipping her hand into his.

"I take aerobics with Daphne, Draco's secretary, and she sort of set the two of us up," Paulette explained.

"_She_ takes aerobics and _you_ sit at home and mope all day," Teta told Samira.

Samira laughed slightly and shot an embarrassed look at Draco. "Teta, none of that now."

"I'm an old woman… I can say whatever I want," Teta said with a small mumble of irritation.

"Why have you been moping?" Paulette asked with a concerned look. "Do you have an anxiety disorder? Because my sister had Generalized Anxiety Disorder and she was always moping around."

Samira's cheeks colored and Draco's heart nearly broke in half. He had to intervene.

"Samira recently broke up with someone," he said.

She stared at him curiously, her eyes expressing a soft sadness and longing and a plethora of confusion.

"Oh, you poor thing. Well, whoever he was, he's a complete idiot for letting you go," Paulette reassured her.

Teta laughed again. "He was not an idiot, they both were."

Samira sighed and smiled forcedly. "I wish I could stay, Draco, but I have a ton of work to get done at the office. I just wanted to see you and say hi."

He didn't want her leaving yet… even if she just wanted to be friends; he thrived on her company, lived for her voice and presence. "I'll walk you out."

"I'm coming with you, _ya bintee,_" Teta said, grabbing her purse and striding out of the room ahead of them. She remembered to say goodbye to Paulette and then apparated out of sight once she reached the hallway.

Draco closed the front door behind him as he stood in the empty hallway of the floor of his penthouse. "Can you come back later?" he asked Samira as she stood next to him staring down at her fingers.

"I don't know if that's a good idea," she whispered, her head still down.

Draco lifted her chin with his strong fingers and looked into her dark eyes. "I promise it won't be anything but us talking. Just friends, Sam."

It bothered him that that was all it would be. But he had to be close to her… he had to be around her or he would go crazy.

"Ok," she nodded, putting her slender fingers around his wrist to ease his hand away from her face. "I'll be back around seven. You can tell me all about your day with Paulette and how much you fancy her."

She winked at him and smiled coquettishly, leaving him standing in the hallway watching her leave with an ache in his chest.

* * *

6:59 in the evening was a horrid time Draco decided. He paced in his living room, brushing imaginary lint away from his shirt and telling his brain to stop being so pitiable. Paulette had left just a few moments ago, having spent the day with him and confirming the way he felt about her.

The soft rap at the door set his heart beating like a foppish schoolboy, nervous and eager to see her remarkable beauty. She would always be his… no matter what happened between them. Whether they were friends, lovers, or mortal enemies… she would _always_ be his.

He opened the door and couldn't help but smile at how beautiful she always seemed to be. She smiled at him and walked into his flat, throwing her purse and wand onto the coffee table and lounging on his couch. "I forgot how much I loved sitting on this couch," she sighed, leaning her head back on the armrest and closing her eyes.

Draco raked his eyes over her outstretched form and clenched his fist to stop from taking her right then and there. "You're always welcome to crash here," he said, taking a seat in the armchair across from her. "You know, when your family gets too crazy to be around."

She laughed and looked at him, snuggling into a pile of throw-pillows. "Didn't I tell you? I got my old flat back! I moved in a few days ago."

"Really? Well, that's great then," he told her, truly enjoying her smile. Several heartbeats passed before he spoke again. "Sam, you know how you said we're friends, right?"

She nodded.

"Ok, so I'm going to have to ask for some advice," he said.

"Go ahead," she said, her smile still wide, happy that he admitted to their friendship.

He looked at her for a few moments, contemplating his words. "I don't like Paulette."

Her smile faltered and she stared back at him. "Um… why? She's such a nice girl."

Draco shrugged and propped his feet on the coffee table. "I'm not attracted to her. Sure, she's nice and a good person, but I just don't like her the way she wants me to."

Samira frowned and bit her lip, hugging one of the pillows closer to her.

"I think I'm going to break up with her," he said quietly.

"You want my advice on this?" she asked.

He nodded and watched her eyebrows furrow in thought.

"Draco, you should do whatever makes you happy. If you like Paulette, if you think that there could possibly be a future between the two of you, then I think you should wait it out."

He clenched his fist again, this time in anger at how detached Samira spoke.

"But," she continued. "If you don't like her and you can't see yourself with her in the long run, then you should end things with her. She doesn't deserve to be trailed along, waiting for you to show an interest in her."

"She asked me if you and I used to be involved," he said.

Samira smiled slowly. "What did you tell her?"

"I told her the truth. That we used to be together and that we aren't anymore… that we just remained friends."

"How did she take that news?"

"I think she took it well."

"That's good."

"Yeah."

They sat in silence and stared at each other, their thoughts scattered all over the place.

Samira finally broke the silence. "Melania misses you."

He smiled. "I miss the squirt, too. You should bring her over the next time you babysit."

"She is going through a horrid phase, though. Apparently, biting people is all the rage now."

Draco laughed and leaned back on the chair.

"I have bruises on my arms from her tiny little teeth," Samira said, laughing with him.

They spent the next few hours talking and laughing the way they did back when they dated. The only difference was that she wasn't lounging in his arms or lying next to him in bed, cuddled up against his side.

Just being close to him was enough for her. He was a drug to her, her withdrawal symptoms when they broke up were the most excruciating emotions she had ever experienced.

She just wished she could be the woman he deserved…

"So, are you going to break up with Paulette?" she asked as he walked her to the door once the clock struck midnight.

He sighed and nodded. "There's no point in keeping up the pretense of a relationship when I have no feelings for her. It's not fair to her or to me."

"If you need a shoulder to cry on, I'll be happy to offer mine," Samira teased, laughing when he playfully pinched her.

"Get out of my sight, you minx," he told her, pushing her out the door.

She laughed again, turning around and throwing her arms around his neck. He hugged her to him, his surprise quickly ebbing into warmth. "You'll come over tomorrow?"

She nodded once she stepped away from him. "How does noon sound?"

"Fine," he nodded. "I'll speak to Paulette before you get here."

"Good luck," she said softly. "I'll be here at noon."

He smiled at her and resisted the urge to reach out and grab her. "Goodnight."

"Night," she said, disappearing down the hall and apparating instantly.

He closed the door and felt happier than he had for the past few weeks, knowing that Samira was not out of his life completely. She had been right… they hadn't just been lovers; they had been the closest of friends.

But, Draco wasn't satisfied with just being her friend. He wanted her… and he was going to have her. Draco Malfoy wasn't used to being denied what he wanted. He was selfish and he was spoiled and he didn't care who knew.

He threw off his shirt and collapsed onto his bed, crossing his arms beneath his head and contemplating how he was going to convince Samira to face her demons, to trust him with her insecurities and come back to him the way he wanted her to. He fell asleep with those thoughts swimming in his head, his determination stronger than ever.

* * *

Samira unlocked the door of her flat, stepping inside and fumbling around for the light switch. Her mood was still in a floating bliss after having spent all evening with Draco.

She drew in a gasp when a hand clamped over her mouth and she was jerked into the room, a hard body behind her.

A familiar smell hit her senses as her eyes adjusted to the dark and as she tried to control the rapid beating of her heart. The hand over her mouth was rough and the body behind her was tall. She felt a stabbing of anxiety in her chest.

Tears gathered in her eyes as her assailant bent his head to her ear and whispered in his native tongue. _"My sweet, sweet Samira… how kind of you to join me."_

She was spun around to face the man she had recognized by voice alone.

"Sebastien…" she whispered hoarsely, before she was knocked to the ground, the whole world spiraling into darkness.


	12. Be My Mirror, My Sword and Shield

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter themes, characters or plots. They belong to JKR and her minions.

* * *

**Chapter 12: Be My Mirror, My Sword and Shield**

* * *

_Recap: She laughed again, turning around and throwing her arms around his neck. He hugged her to him, his surprise quickly ebbing into warmth. "You'll come over tomorrow?"_

_She nodded once she stepped away from him. "How does noon sound?"_

"_Fine," he nodded. "I'll speak to Paulette before you get here."_

"_Good luck," she said softly. "I'll be here at noon."_

_He smiled at her and resisted the urge to reach out and grab her. "Goodnight."_

"_Night," she said, disappearing down the hall and apparating instantly._

_He closed the door and felt happier than he had for the past few weeks, knowing that Samira was not out of his life completely. She had been right… they hadn't just been lovers; they had been the closest of friends._

_But, Draco wasn't satisfied with just being her friend. He wanted her… and he was going to have her. Draco Malfoy wasn't used to being denied what he wanted. He was selfish and he was spoiled and he didn't care who knew._

_He threw off his shirt and collapsed onto his bed, crossing his arms beneath his head and contemplating how he was going to convince Samira to face her demons, to trust him with her insecurities and come back to him the way he wanted her to. He fell asleep with those thoughts swimming in his head, his determination stronger than ever._

_Samira unlocked the door of her flat, stepping inside and fumbling around for the light switch. Her mood was still in a floating bliss after having spent all evening with Draco._

_She drew in a gasp when a hand clamped over her mouth and she was jerked into the room, a hard body behind her._

_A familiar smell hit her senses as her eyes adjusted to the dark and as she tried to control the rapid beating of her heart. The hand over her mouth was rough and the body behind her was tall. She felt a stabbing of anxiety in her chest._

_Tears gathered in her eyes as her assailant bent his head to her ear and whispered in his native tongue. __"My sweet, sweet Samira… how kind of you to join me."_

_She was spun around to face the man she had recognized by voice alone._

"_Sebastien…" she whispered hoarsely, before she was knocked to the ground, the whole world spiraling into darkness._

* * *

Draco felt a slight amount of unease as he knocked on Paulette's door. He wasn't in the mood to break up with anyone. It was such an uncomfortable situation and he wished there was a less excruciating way to do it… like a break-up greeting card or a break-up singing telegram.

He waited as he heard her scramble to the door, unlocking the few locks she had. She smiled at him once she opened the door and kissed his cheek as she ushered him inside. At the moment she wanted to throw her arms around his neck for a hug, he gently shook his head and grabbed her wrists to stop her. "Can we talk, Paulette?"

She gave him a frown and shrugged, taking a seat across from him in her living room.

He expelled a breath and gave her a wan smile. "I don't really know how to say this so I'm just going to come out with it and tell it to you straight. Paulette, I don't think we should see each other anymore. You're a nice girl and you're beautiful, but I just can't see myself having any feelings for you. I know that sounds a bit harsh and blunt, but it's the honest truth."

Paulette stared at him for a few moments and then furrowed her brow. "Did I do something wrong?"

He sighed and shook his head. "No, you didn't. You're quite a lovely person and most people would call me a fool for breaking up with you, but I can't lie to myself anymore and I certainly cannot keep leading you on. I'm still in love with Samira. I never told her that I loved her, but I do and, I want to be with her."

"Well, I can't really argue with that," she replied with a shrug. "How long did you know you've loved her and why did you lead me on for so long?"

"I'm an idiot, Paulette. I don't know what I'm thinking half the time and when I do know what I'm thinking, I never know what to do. I apologize for leading you on in the beginning, but I wasn't too sure of what I would do once I realized I couldn't love anyone besides Samira. I'm really sorry."

She shrugged again and gave him a sad smile. "You should go."

He ran a hand through his hair and nodded. "Yeah, I think so, too. I'll let myself out."

She nodded slowly and crossed her arms over her chest, watching him as he left her flat.

The minute Draco closed the door behind him, he felt his chest unknot and his shoulders sag with relief. He actually felt a smile cross his face as he realized he was that much closer to reaching his goal of getting Samira back. True, he felt bad for what he had just done to Paulette, but he would get over it and so would she.

Samira was supposed to meet him at his flat at noon and he checked his watch to see that he'd been at Paulette's for only a few minutes and that he still had time to get back home and greet Samira at the door.

An hour later, as the hour approached one o' clock, Draco paced in front of his fireplace, wondering what was taking Samira so long. She had never been late for things when they were dating and if she was ever late, she always flooed or owled him to keep him from waiting up.

He checked the clock and his watch once more before grabbing his cloak and apparating to Samira's flat. Maybe she had forgotten or maybe she had overslept. Either way, he was worried.

He knocked on the door to her flat but received no reply. He knocked again, louder this time, in case she was sleeping and didn't hear him. Still, he received no reply.

He ran his fingers through his hair and then left her building to apparate to her parents' house. If she wasn't at her flat, maybe she would be with her parents and Teta. He knocked on the door and hoped that his chase was finished. He just wanted to see her. Was that too much to ask?

Samira's mother opened the door and grinned widely when she saw Draco. "Draco! _Habibi,_ what are you doing here?"

"I was wondering if Samira was here. I was just at her flat but she wasn't home, so I thought maybe she would be here."

Sofie's dark eyebrows furrowed in thought. "No, Samira hasn't been around here this morning. If she isn't at her flat then maybe she's babysitting for Michael. She can't be at work since it's a Saturday and I know she never likes to go in on Saturdays."

"Yeah, I didn't think she'd be at work either. But, thank you. I'll check Michael's place. Give my regards to everyone," he said over his shoulder as he walked back to the Apparition point.

"Goodbye, _habibi_!" Sofie called after him, a smile on her face as she shook her head slowly. Her daughter and that boy were still so in love with each other that it was humorous to watch them.

When Draco reached Michael's house, he took a deep breath and knocked on the door, praying that Samira was there. He was really starting to worry. If Samira wasn't at Michael's, he had no idea what he would do.

After a few moments of waiting, he heard the telltale sound of Melania's squeal and giggle as Rosa opened the door.

"RACO!" Melania screamed, launching herself at Draco's legs. "You came to my houthe!"

"What a pleasant surprise, Draco," Rosa smiled. "Please, come in."

"Actually, I don't really want to take up a lot of your time, Rosa. I just need to know if you've seen Samira this morning."

"Samira? No, I haven't seen her and she hasn't been here. Did you check her parents' house? She usually visits them on Saturdays."

"I just came from there," he sighed, leaning down to pick up Melania, who had started to climb up his legs. "I think she was probably sleeping when I checked her flat. So, I think I'll go back and check."

"Alright, then. It's really good to see you, again, Draco. I think you made the right choice in deciding to stay friends with Samira. The two of you don't know it, but you really do need each other."

He gave her a patient smile and finally let her pry Melania from his arms. After he promised that he would visit again, lest Melania start sobbing, he quickly walked back to the apparition point and apparated straight to Samira's building.

He climbed the stairs two at a time and eventually reached her door, saying a silent plea for her to be home. He knocked loudly three times and held his breath…

* * *

Samira groaned as Sebastien's fingers probed at the bruise on her head.

"You'll live," he said with a snide smile.

She started to say something when she realized there was a scarf around her mouth, a scarf she recognized as her own. Sebastien must have silenced her while she had been unconscious. Her arms were tied behind her back and her ankles were bound together as she lay on her bed. She decided to glare at him instead.

"I see you've missed me, my flower," he said, his smile growing even more evil by the second. "Well, let me tell you something, I have not missed you. In fact, I have hated you for the past two years. Hated you and wanted you to suffer for what you did to me."

He untied the scarf from around her mouth and pulled out a pistol he had tucked in the waistband of his pants. His once handsome face was now horribly repulsive for Samira; she couldn't look at him directly without feeling a stab of uneasiness.

He pointed the gun at her temple, warning her without saying a word that if she screamed, he would end her life.

"Where's your wand, Sebastien?" she asked with a scratchy voice.

He scowled at her and pushed the pistol harder against her temple. "They took that away from me when they arrested me. I'm not allowed to have a wand for the next year."

"Did you escape prison?" she asked, her head throbbing and her heart beating erratically against her ribcage.

"No, I did not escape. I was let out on parole," he sneered. "The first thing on my list was to come and check up on you."

"How kind of you," she said dryly. "What do you want, Sebastien? Why can't you leave me alone? Didn't you torture me enough when we were together?"

"Torture you? I never did such a thing," he replied. "I _loved_ you."

"You did not love me, Sebastien. If you loved me, you wouldn't have hurt me. You wouldn't have wasted your life on boozing and drinking and abusing me. Now, does that sound like a man who loved me?" she spit out.

"You were always on my case about the drinking! It was none of your fucking business what I did…"

"I was your damn girlfriend and you say it was none of my business? I didn't like cleaning up after you and I didn't like being in your way when you were mad! You were an angry drunk and a violent one!"

"I don't …"

Sebastien suddenly stopped speaking when they heard the knocking at the front door.

Samira's eyes widened as she glanced at the clock on her bedroom wall. It was almost three in the afternoon and she was supposed to have met Draco at noon.

"That's the second time someone has come knocking," Sebastien whispered. "Expecting someone, Samira?"

She realized that Draco must have come earlier while she was unconscious. She shook her head in answer to Sebastien's question. She didn't want to drag Draco into this.

"Who's at the door, my flower? Who wants to see you so bad that they are interrupting us? Do you have a lover?"

"It's no one. It's probably my neighbor. She always has tea with me Saturday afternoons. Ignore it," she said quickly.

"You always were a horrible liar," he smirked. "Who's at the door, Samira?"

"No one," she repeated.

He shook his head at her and left the room. She felt tears well in her eyes. She was so confused, scared, and her head would not stop throbbing where it had hit the floor and where Sebastien had struck her.

When he walked back in to the room, his smile was as snide as ever. "A man is at the door. Blond hair, tall, and he doesn't look too happy… ah, there he goes knocking again. I think you should tell him that he needs to go away."

"I won't say anything," she said stubbornly. "Let him think I'm not here."

"I don't want him sniffing around here looking for you. You are _mine_," he whispered viciously. "Find a way to get rid of him. You better not ask him for help and you better not warn him that I am here. If that happens, I will shoot him dead. Do you understand?"

She nodded quickly, her hands shaking as he untied them. She thought back to where she had left her wand and wanted to cry when she realized she had left it at Draco's flat. She had nothing to use against Sebastien and now she would have to face Draco.

Sebastien picked her up roughly and led her to the front door with the pistol pressing into her back as a warning to her to take care of the situation.

When she opened the door and saw Draco's beautiful, worried face she wanted to leap into his arms and find the safety she knew she'd find there. But, that was impossible.

"Samira! God almighty, where the hell have you been?" Draco asked with a sigh, running his hand through his hair. "Why didn't you answer the door the first time I came by? I nearly lost my mind with … why do you look like that? Where did you get that bruise on your cheek?"

Samira shrugged and gave him a cold stare she didn't mean. "I just tripped."

"Are you going to invite me in or am I going to be stuck in this hallway all day?"

She felt the pistol press harder into her back. She put her hand up to stop Draco from coming in to her flat. "I'm not in the mood for company," she said. "I'd like it if you left."

He narrowed his eyes at her in confusion. "What's going on, Sam? You don't look okay, and I don't believe for one second that you tripped."

"I thought over some things last night, and I decided that us being friends isn't a good idea. We weren't good as a couple, and we just don't …"

"Quit with the bullshit, Sami, and tell me what's going on. You look pale and, with your skin tone, that's not a good thing."

"I just don't want to see you anymore. Go away," she said through clenched teeth. Why didn't he understand that their lives were at stake? Why couldn't he just listen to her?

"If you don't tell me what's going on, I'm going to… what was that?"

She stiffened as she felt the pistol dig deeper. "It was nothing. Go home, Draco."

"Stop telling me to go home," he nearly yelled. "I saw something move behind you. Who's there?"

"No one… Draco, NO!" she screamed as he pushed past her with his wand pulled out.

The sound of the gunshot took the breath from Samira's lungs as she was pushed to the floor. _Please don't be dead, please don't be dead, please don't be dead, _she thought as she pushed herself to a standing position and prayed for Draco's life.

Draco was still standing as he faced Sebastien, his wand in front of him and Sebastien's pistol lying on the floor. "Who the hell is this and why did he have one of those guns?"

"You bitch," Sebastien spat, holding his wrist where Samira had pushed back against him and twisted it as she fell to the floor.

"Stun him, Draco!" she warned, scrambling towards the gun.

She screamed as Sebastien dove behind her and pushed her in front of him.

"Coward!" Draco snarled.

He was thankful when Samira kicked the gun away; having it disappear gave them the advantage. What _didn't_ give them the advantage was the knife that appeared in the Sebastien's hand and that was now held against Samira's neck as he held her from behind.

"Let me guess; you must be Sebastien," Draco spat.

The handsome man smiled at Draco. "And I do not know who you are," he said in heavily accented English. "You are Samira's lover, no?"

"That is none of your business, you mongrel. Let go of her, or I'll kill you," Draco scowled. "I am not above using an unforgivable curse."

"The minute the spell leaves your mouth, I will slit her throat, so take care, Samira's lover," Sebastien said slowly. "Now, put your wand down slowly."

"No," Draco replied.

Before she knew what was happening, Samira saw a streak of blue light emerge from Draco's wand and she felt Sebastien fall behind her, nicking her cheek with the knife as he fell to the floor. Suddenly, she was in Draco's arms, her breath faltering as she felt her vision blur with tears, her cheek sting with the new cut and her head throb with the old pain.

"Oh, Samira, what did he do to you?" Draco breathed against her hair. His hands shook as he held her tighter to him, as he kissed the top of her head.

"I can't believe you used a silent spell," she murmured into his chest. "I didn't even think of it... Draco, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, please forgive me."

"Shh, Sami, it's okay. None of this was your fault," he said. "Come, we have to floo the domestic Aurors and get him out of here."

Samira tentatively eased away from Draco's arms and hugged herself as she watched him tie up the unconscious Frenchman. She walked over to the floo and flooed the Ministry, asking for the Auror department to send some men to arrest Sebastien for breaking his parole, attempted homicide, and assault.

* * *

Nursing a mug of tea between her hands, Samira wiped at the tears forming in her eyes as Draco stepped into the kitchen after speaking with the Aurors. She handed him the cup of tea she had made for him and looked back down at the kitchen table as he sat down next to her.

"Did you clean up that cut?" he asked, taking a sip of his tea.

She nodded and pressed her hand to her mouth to prevent a choking sob from escaping.

"Sami," Draco sighed and brought her into his arms.

"I'm so weak, Draco. I'm so weak and I can't believe I ever let myself be with him. He was horrid to me and I was too scared to get help when I was with him… too scared to tell someone what was happening to me. I hated him, Draco. He made my life a living hell and I couldn't do anything about it…"

"Stop, Samira. Finish your tea and then grab some clothes because you're staying with me tonight. I'm not letting you out of my sight again," he said, rubbing her back and easing away from her.

She nodded quietly and they finished their tea in silence. Draco had owled Michael and Rosa telling them that he had found Samira and that everything was okay. He knew Samira wouldn't like her family worrying over her excessively.

When they reached his flat, Draco waited for Samira to change into some clothes that weren't covered in blood. He sat in his living room and felt his heartbeat speed up when she walked into the room in some sweatpants and a large t-shirt she had borrowed from him that she had never returned when they had broken up. Even at her most casual, she looked stunning to him.

She took a seat next to him on the couch and smiled wanly at him. "You never told me, Draco… did you see Paulette this morning?"

"You're serious? You almost died today and you want to know whether I saw Paulette this morning?"

"Did you?"

"Yes, I saw her," he answered curtly.

"Did you break up with her?"

"Does it matter to you if I did or not?"

"Yes," she replied softly. "It does."

"Why?" he wondered aloud.

"Because I don't want you to be with her," she admitted. "If you'll listen, I'm ready to tell you everything. I don't know why it was so hard before, but I want to tell you everything that has led to this point in time. I want you to know me inside and out and I want you to be the only one who knows everything about my past."

Draco nodded silently and reached his hand out to her, weaving his fingers with hers. She smiled at the gesture and took a deep breath before beginning her story.

"I was in my fourth year at Beauxbatons when I first met Sebastien. He was a sixth year student and was the most popular boy at school. He was handsome and funny and athletic and basically the image of perfection. Along with every other girl in the school, I developed a fancy for him and he took notice of me one night while I was studying for my exams. We were sharing a table in the library and he started talking to me.

"I was extremely nervous, talking to the most popular boy in school, but I was excited as well. I had never had a boyfriend and my flirting skills were pretty much nonexistent, but Sebastien made me feel good about myself and he was a very talented charmer. Seeing as how Beauxbatons students only go to school for six years, Sebastien graduated that year and the night before his graduation, he asked if I would be his girlfriend.

"We maintained a long distance relationship since he was living in Paris and I was still in school. We wrote each other and he visited on the weekends. I found out later that he was cheating on me with a girl he had met in the city, but at the time, I was completely oblivious and didn't find out about his devious reputation until after the abuse started."

"What a bastard," Draco said quietly. "I should have killed him when I had the chance."

Samira smiled at him and squeezed his hand. "When I graduated, he asked me to move in with him and I was a stupid seventeen year old, ready to make my own decisions, so I agreed. While I lived with him, I started realizing that we weren't compatible. He was incredibly bad-tempered and I also discovered that he had a drinking problem."

"That's why you don't drink alcohol," Draco said.

She nodded and continued. "When he was drunk, he would hit me. The first time had been an accident, but the second wasn't. I left him after the second time he hit me. I wasn't some man's punching bag and I certainly didn't deserve to be around to watch him slowly kill himself with alcohol.

"I wish I could say that my history with him ends there, but like I said before, I was a complete idiot. I came back to England when I was eighteen, and I stayed with my parents, taking an intern position at my dad's company. Six months after I had arrived in England, Sebastien came to my parent's house and told me that he had gotten help, that he had gone to a rehabilitation facility and that he had done it all 

for me. He was extremely sorry for ever hurting me and that without me he realized that he couldn't go on with his life.

"I genuinely believed him and decided to go back to France with him. For the first month or so, he was never drunk in front of me. He did go out with his mates and drink, but I don't think he was ever drunk. One night, I think he relapsed and came home completely inebriated. I was so mad at him, Draco, and I was so mad at myself! I had been a fool, because he clearly hadn't gotten any help. So, I yelled at him and started packing my things."

At this point, Samira's eyes filled with tears and she stiffened at her place beside Draco.

He brought her into his arms, wrapping them around her waist and placing his chin on top of her head. She gasped with a sob and buried her face into his neck. "I didn't know he had a knife…"

Draco's body went completely still and his arms tightened around her.

"He saw me packing my things and just went ballistic: yelling at me, ripping clothes out of my hands, and then I saw the knife. He had picked it up from the kitchen and in that instant I had never been more scared in all of my life. I dropped everything and backed away from him, trying to calm him down, but he wouldn't let go of it… he was completely out of his mind with alcohol.

"I tried to run and I tried to move, but I was too slow. I don't even think he knew what he was doing, but all of a sudden, I felt a stinging pain in my abdomen and I looked down to see blood."

She let out a shuddering breath and hugged Draco closer, his presence soothing as she retold the story for the first time.

"I just pushed him away once I regained my senses and he hit his head on the coffee table and passed out. I took all of my stuff and showed up on Michael and Rosa's doorstep as fast as I possibly could. They took me to an emergency clinic near their house and that night I found out that I would never be able to have kids. The knife had torn through my uterus and one of my fallopian tubes."

With that final confession, the sobs began anew and Draco held the only woman he ever loved against his body with renewed vigor and affection. He kissed her temple and murmured words of comfort against her cheek as he felt the pain she had held in all those years.

He held her until he heard her cries die down and her breathing even out against his neck. He smiled softly as he realized she had tired herself out from crying and from going through such an ordeal all in one day.

* * *

When Samira awoke, she had a moment of confusion as to her whereabouts. She was in a bed, that was for certain. But there was someone sleeping next to her. She squinted her eyes and sighed with relief that Draco was next to her and not Sebastien, as she had been dreaming about.

She burrowed closer to Draco and fell asleep again against the man who she had never stopped loving and who she would never stop loving. She vowed to herself that in the morning, she was going to tell him how she felt and convince him that they belonged together no matter how crazy she was or how weak she was… she was going to prove to him that their happiness together should go on despite her failure to ever have children.

She just hoped that he didn't want to have kids as much as she did. She had come to terms with the fact that she would never hold her own baby in her arms. It still hurt when she saw women with children or when she even saw her own niece, but there were worse things in life. If she had Draco by her side, then all the bad things wouldn't seem so bad.

* * *

...

* * *

a/n: how can I possibly apologize for taking so long with this chapter? I mean, come on! It's been nearly three months (maybe more) and I'm so, so, so, so, so sorry! I hope you can all forgive me! Thank you for the reviews and for being so patient! The chapter title comes from the song "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay.


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